Judge likely to deny California's bid to stop Amazon's alleged price fixing

A California judge expressed on Thursday his intention to deny a bid from the California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, to halt Amazon's alleged practice of fixing prices by exerting pressure on competitors to increase prices, marking a setback for Bonta's legal actions against the e-commerce giant. Bonta had initiated a lawsuit against Amazon in 2022, alleging that the company's dominant position in online retail, coupled with its use of anti-competitive strategies, led to price hikes for consumers.

In April, Bonta's office had presented evidence that Amazon had coerced brands, including Levi Strauss, Allergan, and Hanes, as well as online retailers Walmart and Target, to raise prices for consumers to prevent being undercut by Amazon. Bonta had petitioned the judge to halt such unlawful price-fixing by Amazon. However, during a hearing on Thursday at San Francisco Superior Court, Judge Ethan Schulman tentatively ruled against the request, though the final decision would be made subsequent to the hearing.

Schulman's skepticism was evident as he mentioned the state's reliance on evidence from 2023. A spokesperson for Bonta acknowledged the ruling as disappointing but affirmed that his office remains optimistic about the upcoming trial. The spokesperson emphasized that Bonta's office maintains its belief that Amazon's persistent price-fixing practices are detrimental to California consumers. The legal case is slated for trial in January.