Antitrust
Duke University and UNC No-Poach Faculty Settlement
Duke University is paying $19 million to settle a faculty class action alleging that Duke and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill agreed not to hire, recruit, or poach each other’s faculty members, thus violating state and federal antitrust laws. Read more
Zillow Funneling of Customers to “Premier Agents” Connecticut Class Action
Zillow’s online platform dominates the market for buying and selling homes. It “purports to make the process of buying and selling residential real estate less complicated and lower priced[,]” says the complaint for this class action. However, the complaint alleges that its power in the market allows it to “tilt the real-world playing field in Read more
Crop Inputs Antitrust and RICO Class Action
Crop inputs include seeds and the chemicals that protect them, such as fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. This class action brings suit against four manufacturers, three wholesalers, and a number of retailers alleging violations of antitrust laws and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The defendants include companies like Bayer CropScience Incorporated, Syngenta Corporation, Read more
Peanut Farmers Antitrust Litigation Settlement
This settlement resolves a portion of a combined antitrust litigation alleging that peanut shellers conspired to pay peanut farmers depressed prices for their raw runner peanuts in order to keep prices low. Shellers buy from farmers, then process the peanuts and sell them onward to makers of products like candy and peanut butter. Previously, defendants Read more
Apple Monopsony for Developers in the Apple App Store Class Action
This antitrust class action alleges that, in the area of game apps, Apple is a massive “monopsony” and “[p]laintiffs and the proposed class members are largely small startups who break their back[s] on Apple’s terms to produce free apps consumed by billions.” Apple, it says, underpays app makers, illegally rejects some of their work, charges Read more
Valve Corp. Steam Platform Games Anticompetitive Actions Class Action
“Valve Corporation’s Steam platform is the dominant platform for game developers to distribute and sell PC games in the United States[,]” says the first line of the complaint for this class action. But what enables it to keep that dominant position? The complaint alleges that it’s not better pricing or other fair means, but anticompetitive Read more
DRAM Manufacturers Collude to Raise Prices Antitrust Class Action
This class action concerns allegations of an antitrust conspiracy between makers of DRAM. DRAM—dynamic random access memory—is a form of semiconductor memory. It is used in personal computers, network servers, cell phones, tablets, televisions, cameras, and in industrial applications. The complaint alleges that companies in the Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix families entered into a Read more
Align Technology Anticompetitive Actions for Aligners, Scanners Class Action
Dental aligners are a plastic, less-visible form of braces. They are also popular because they can be removed for short periods, for eating and toothbrushing. This class action brings suit against Align Technology, Inc. for anti-competitive actions and monopoly of the aligner and scanning markets. Read more
Sutter Health Anti-Competitive Actions Settlement
Sutter Health is paying $575 million to settle a combined case, consisting of a class action and lawsuit filed by the California Attorney General. The combined suit alleged that the Sutter and some of its affiliates, such as Sutter Bay Hospitals and Sutter Valley Medical Foundation, violated California’s antitrust law and its Unfair Competition law, Read more
Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Settlement
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and settling individual Blue plans have come to a $2.67 billion agreement to settle class actions alleging that Blue Cross Blue Shield companies agreed not to compete with each other and to limit competition among themselves in sales and administration of health insurance. The complaints alleged that the companies violated Read more