US: Apple fails to delay state eBook price-fixing trial

Apple’s attempt to delay a trial for states seeking damages for eBooks price-fixing has failed, say reports.

US District Judge Denise Cote denied Apple’s request to delay the trial, already delayed once and currently set for July 14, allowing more than two dozen state attorneys general to sue the company for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars.

The state suits followed Judge Cote’s ruling last year that found Apple to have conspired with eBooks publishers to fix product prices. The lawsuit was initiated by the US Department of Justice, which did not seek monetary damages.

Judge Cote’s denial of Apple’s request was reportedly met with Apple requesting an appeals court to intervene and halt the trial.

”The district court is … pressing forward with class notice and a trial in both cases in July, despite the irreparable harm to Apple’s reputation among its customers if class notice is disseminated,” the company said in its filing with the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Full Content: Reuters

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