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EssilorLuxottica Defeats Consumer Lawsuits Alleging Monopoly Practices

By  |  September 28, 2025

EssilorLuxottica won a significant legal battle on Friday after a U.S. federal judge dismissed consumer lawsuits accusing the company of monopolizing the eyewear market. The cases had alleged that the maker of Ray-Ban and Oakley frames used acquisitions and restrictive agreements to inflate prices for prescription lenses and designer glasses, according to Reuters.

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    U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, presiding in Manhattan, ruled that the plaintiffs did not provide sufficient evidence to show that EssilorLuxottica possessed the level of market control necessary to dictate pricing or block competition in the custom lens sector. The judge further noted that the lawsuits failed to properly define the relevant product markets, a critical step in antitrust litigation, per Reuters.

    EssilorLuxottica, the world’s largest eyewear company, owns popular retail outlets such as LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and For Eyes, and controls well-known brands including Persol, Oliver Peoples, and Oakley. It also licenses the rights to produce and sell luxury labels like Prada, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, and Coach.

    “It is not illegal for a business to be enormous, and enormously successful, so long as it does not engage in anticompetitive conduct,” Judge Vyskocil wrote in her decision.

    Related: EssilorLuxottica Open to Meta as Shareholder, Says CEO Francesco Milleri

    The consolidated lawsuits, originally filed in 2023, sought class action status for both direct and indirect purchasers of EssilorLuxottica products. Plaintiffs argued the company’s dominance was the result of long-term acquisitions of rivals and the enforcement of restrictive distribution practices.

    EssilorLuxottica consistently denied these claims, maintaining that it operates in a fiercely competitive market. In a court filing, the company described the allegations as “nothing more than a contention that building a successful company over many decades is unlawful.” It added, “That is not an antitrust violation; it is good business,” according to Reuters.

    The case was filed under the name In re Eyewear Antitrust Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, case number 1:24-cv-04826.

    Source: Reuters