A California lawsuit claims the retail giant Amazon has inflated prices for essential goods by more than 600% , violating California consumer-protection laws
California consumers hit Amazon.com with a class-action lawsuit accusing the retail giant of violating state consumer-protection laws by price-gouging during the COVID-19 public health crisis, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman.
According to the lawsuit filed April 21, 2020, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, the world’s largest retailer, Amazon.com, has engaged in “unconscionable” and unlawful price increases during the COVID-19 pandemic, inflating prices for essential goods by upwards of 672%. Under California law, any price increase exceeding 10% during a state or local emergency is presumptively illegal.
“California law rightly prohibits profiteering from a public health crisis,” the suit begins. “Exploiting consumers in their most vulnerable hour is not only contrary to basic human decency—it is a criminal offense in California and presumptively unlawful under California’s Unfair Competition Law…Amazon’s position as a vital seller in times of contagion does not place it above the law.”
“Many Americans were already barely making ends meet before the outbreak of COVID-19, and the crisis gave many their first encounter with resource scarcity and widespread financial distress,” said Steve Berman, managing partner o
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