Judge in the US gives the green light to historic antitrust lawsuit against Amazon

A federal judge in the United States said that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can proceed with its landmark antitrust lawsuit against Amazon. But it also gave the company a small victory by dismissing some claims made by states involved in the legal battle.

The order, issued last week by Judge John H. Chun and revealed on Monday, represents a tough defeat for Amazon, which has been seeking for months to have the case dismissed in court. The trial is scheduled to take place in October 2026.

“We are pleased with the court’s decision and look forward to moving forward with this case,” FTC spokesman Doug Farrar said in a prepared statement. “The ways in which Amazon illegally maintains its monopolies and the harm they cause, including suppressed competition and higher prices for buyers and sellers, will be exposed at trial.”

The FTC and attorneys general of 18 states, plus Puerto Rico, have alleged in court that the e-commerce giant is abusing its market position to inflate prices on and off its platform, overcharge customers sellers and stifle competition.

The lawsuit, which was filed in September 2023, is the result of a years-long investigation into the company’s business and is one of the largest legal challenges filed against Amazon in its nearly 30-year history.

US regulators and state prosecutors accuse the online retailer of violating federal and state antitrust and consumer protection laws.

In the order, U.S. Judge Chun of the U.S. Court for the Western District of Washington allowed the federal challenges and many of the state claims to proceed. But it dismissed some claims made by New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Maryland.

Amazon, for its part, expressed confidence that it could prove its argument in court as the case progresses.

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