A judge in California has denied Amazon’s attempt to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit filed by the state. The suit alleges that the e-commerce giant is violating laws by compelling vendors to accept policies that lead to inflated prices for customers.
Judge Ethan Schulman in San Francisco Superior Court stated that California made a credible claim that Amazon’s policies have resulted in higher prices for competing retail marketplaces and third-party sellers’ websites.
Related: California’s AG Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Amazon in September regarding their policies that prohibit merchants from selling products at lower prices on other online platforms or their personal websites. Bonta stated that there is ample evidence indicating that Amazon’s practices lead consumers paying more for various products.
“There is no shortage of evidence showing that the ‘everything store’ is costing consumers more for just about everything,” Bonta said in a statement.
