The District of Columbia attorney general on Monday urged a Washington, DC, appeals court to revive the city’s claim that Amazon.com Inc is violating antitrust law through agreements prohibiting merchants from offering better price deals elsewhere.
Lawyers for DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb argued in their opening court filing at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals that a trial judge in May “ignored or discounted” the city’s factual allegations and “perfunctorily dismissed” the lawsuit in an oral ruling from the bench.
D.C.’s lawyers said the lower court “appeared to reason” that an agreement to restrain trade can’t violate antitrust law if it economically benefited the parties.
Related: NGOs Say EU Amazon Antitrust Probe Has Many Issues
“That is not the law,” the attorney general’s team told the appeals court, the highest local tribunal in the city.
The district also argued that Superior Court Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo should have allowed the city to file an amended complaint to include more details about specific sellers and how Amazon’s agreements allegedly pushed them to raise prices.
Featured News
T-Mobile’s Acquisition of Ka’ena Corporation Receives FCC Approval
Apr 26, 2024 by
CPI
UK Regulator Announces Two New Senior Executive Appointments
Apr 26, 2024 by
CPI
Paramount Global and Skydance Media Near Merger Deal, Eyeing CEO Change
Apr 26, 2024 by
CPI
BHP Unveils £31bn Mining Megamerger Proposal with Anglo American
Apr 25, 2024 by
nhoch@pymnts.com
ByteDance Prefers Shutdown Over Sale of TikTok Amid US Ban Threats
Apr 25, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI