Amazon antitrust lawsuit thrown out in court
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An antitrust lawsuit filed against Amazon by Washington DC's Attorney General was thrown out in court.
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The lawsuit claims Amazon prevented third-party sellers from offering lower prices for their products on other platforms
DC Superior Court Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo dismissed a lawsuit filed against Amazon by DC Attorney General Karl Racine.
The suit accuses Amazon of anticompetitive behavior, through which it prevents third-party sellers from offering lower prices for their products on other platforms, including their very own websites. Court records review by The New York Times didn't reveal why the judge dismissed the complaint.
“We believe that the Superior Court got this wrong, and its oral ruling did not seem to consider the detailed allegations in the complaint, the full scope of the anticompetitive agreements, the extensive briefing, and a recent decision of a federal court to allow a nearly identical lawsuit to move forward,” Melissa Geller, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General said in a statement to The Verge.
Read more: Google, Facebook CEOs were aware of deal to control ad sales: lawsuit
The nearly identical suit the spokesperson is referring to is a class action complaint that says the tech giant pressures sellers into prices equal or lower than what they're offering elsewhere.
Recently, a panel of US lawmakers urged the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into allegations that Amazon tried to obstruct their anti-trust investigation into tech giants.
The lawmakers accused Amazon and the company's executives of misleading the judiciary committee for the House of Representatives during an investigation, launched in 2019, that looks into business competition online.
Amazon's Bezos "May Have Lied to Congress"
Members of the House Judiciary Committee said in October of last year that they are considering referring Amazon "for criminal investigation", in light of the committee believing that Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, along with some senior executives, may have misled or lied to Congress about their business practices.
Amazon testified before the committee last year. However, an investigation by Reuters claimed that the firm copied products from sellers, and rigged its search results in India to boost sales of its own brands.
Amazon denied the allegations, saying they did not mislead the committee, according to its spokesperson.
A panel of US lawmakers urged the Department of Justice on March 9 to open a criminal investigation into allegations that Amazon tried to obstruct their anti-trust investigation into tech giants.
The lawmakers accused Amazon and the company's executives of misleading the judiciary committee for the House of Representatives during an investigation, launched in 2019, that looks into business competition online.
"After Amazon was caught in a lie and repeated misrepresentations, it stonewalled the committee's efforts to uncover the truth," read the letter by the committee, which is requesting the DoJ probe into the matter.
While the department did not immediately reply for comment, Amazon rejected the letter's allegations, contending that the "huge volume of information we've provided over several years" is evidence for "good faith cooperation with this investigation."
