A PYMNTS Company

Settlement In 1-800 Contacts Gets Early OK

By  |  June 4, 2020

1-800 Contacts Inc. and a group of class action plaintiffs won preliminary approval from a Utah federal judge for their $15.1 million settlement of claims that the contact lens retailer conspired with leading rivals not to compete on the price of online search engine ads.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Judge Teena Campbell gave the agreement her tentative blessing Wednesday, certifying a conditional settlement class of anyone who made at least one online contact lens purchase during the alleged scheme, which began in 2004. The proposed deal was disclosed last month.

    The judge previously gave preliminary approval to a $12 million settlement of claims against Walgreens and Vision Direct Inc., a $5.9 million deal with Luxottica, and a $7 million agreement reached by National Vision Co. and Arlington Contact Lens Service Inc.

    She scheduled an Oct. 20 hearing on final approval of all the settlements, which add up to $40 million.

    Full Content: Bloomberg

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.