Apple Faces Certified Class Action Suit Over E-Book Price Conspiracy
Yesterday, US District Court Judge Denise Cote granted class certification to plaintiffs in a lawsuit over Apple’s alleged e-book price-fixing.
Cote last year ruled that Apple led a conspiracy with publishers to raise e-book prices above those charged by Amazon. That lawsuit was filed by the Department of Justice, but there was also a class action suit filed on behalf of book buyers by the Hagens Berman law firm.
“After a bench trial in two closely related cases, defendant Apple Inc. was found to have colluded with five major publishers to fix e-book prices, violating Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act,” said Cote, a federal judge in the southern district of New York, in his decision.Plaintiffs sought class certification “in their action against Apple based on the same conduct” and “have more than met their burden” to establish that the certification should be granted, according to the ruling (PDF).
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