Antitrust and Monopoly Lawsuits – Major Companies Sued in the U.S.

The latest is Sept. 24, 2024. Below are 15 major cases filed by the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (including cases against Google, Meta and other companies that were initially filed under the Trump administration right before Mr. Biden assumed office). The government has won some cases, but not all. With only a few more months left in the current administration, the number is increasing as regulators target dominant companies, including those in finance, tech, pharmaceuticals and groceries. In a lawsuit filed by the D.O.J. The government lawyers argued that Visa penalizes its customers when they try to use competing services and that it has built a monopoly around payment processing. The Justice Department accused Visa of unfairly stifling the competition in debit cards. They claimed that Visa has maintained a dominant position by imposing or threatening higher fees on merchants who also use other payment networks. The F.T.C. accused three large prescription drug middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers of artificially increasing prices for insulin drugs. The legal action was taken against CVS Health Caremark, Cigna Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Optum Rx as well as subsidiaries created by these companies to handle drug negotiation. The F.T.C. The F.T.C. files a complaint that is not public yet, to prevent pharmacy benefit managers from steering their patients to drugs which make them more profit. The FTC sued to stop Kroger’s $24.6 Billion acquisition of Albertsons. If allowed to proceed, this would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. History. The hearing, which is a mini-trial lasting just over three weeks, was held on Sept. 17, 2024. The judge has not yet made a decision in the case.

August 26, 2024

The court trial begins in Oregon where both grocery stores have a significant presence. The case is brought to the forefront as the presidential campaign focuses on high food prices.

Feb. 26, 2024

The F.T.C. The F.T.C. and eight states plus the District of Columbia sue to stop Kroger from buying rival supermarket Albertsons. They claim that the deal will most likely lead to higher grocery prices and weaker bargaining power of unionized workers. Google was accused of harming competition by using technology to place ads on websites. The department and eight other states claimed that Google had acquired rivals by anticompetitive mergers, and forced publishers and advertisers to use its ad technology. The trial is expected last about a month. The government has requested a breakup of Google, requiring it to sell some assets. The D.O.J. and a group states sued Google, claiming that its role in 90 percent of internet searches made it an undisputed monopoly. The lawsuit, filed in the last days of the Trump Administration, alleged Google used exclusive contracts with phone manufacturers like Apple and other businesses to feature Google search for their devices. This made it harder for consumers like Bing or DuckDuckGo to use rival search engine like Bing. In a 277 page ruling, a federal court calls Google a monopolist. The judge also says that it has illegally maintained its monopoly. A trial to determine remedies will begin in 2025.

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   The Justice Department accuses Google that it has monopolized search and search advertising by limiting competition through exclusive contracts.

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      Oct. 20, 2020

      The Justice Department claims that Google maintains its monopoly on search and search advertisements, preventing any competition. The lawsuit was filed to stop Tapestry from acquiring Capri for $8.5 billion, a blockbuster tie-up that brought together Coach, Kate Spade and Michael Kors. The F.T.C. held a hearing to determine whether the government should halt the deal until the F.T.C. could mount a case against it. The F.T.C. can present a case against the proposed merger.

1. Apr. 22, 2024

   1. The F.T.C. The F.T.C. sues in order to block the merger of two fashion companies – Tapestry and Capri Holdings – that would combine brands like Coach, Michael Kors, and Kate Spade. The agency claims that the merger could force millions of customers to pay more for “accessible” luxury accessories — less expensive products sold by high-end companies — because the combined company wouldn’t have the incentive to compete in price. RealPage, an estate software company, was sued by the D.O.J. and several states for allegedly using its technology to collude with landlords in order to raise rents throughout the country. The D.O.J. said that this was the first civil antitrust case to focus on the role of an algorithm as a means of pricing manipulation. Officials said.

      In its complaint, the Justice Department accused RealPage of enabling an illegal price-fixing conspiracy which artificially increased rents for millions. Read more about

      The D.O.J. Apple was accused of using its monopoly on the smartphone market to suppress competition and raise prices for consumers. Apple has argued that these decisions make the iPhone a better experience. Apple has argued that these decisions make the iPhone a more enjoyable experience. The D.O.J. The Justice Department, along with 29 states and DC, accuses Live Nation of leveraging their sprawling empire to control the live music industry. They claim that Live Nation has locked venues into exclusive ticketing agreements, pushed artists to use their services, and threatened its rivals with financial retribution. challenge. The government argued that the acquisition of Spirit by JetBlue would have been detrimental to consumers, as JetBlue tends to charge more than Spirit.
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      A suit filed by the F.T.C. Amazon was accused by the F.T.C. and 17 states of squeezing retailers and favoring their own competing brands and services above third-party sellers. Amazon asks for the court to dismiss this suit, arguing the F.T.C. The FTC failed to identify harms that consumers were experiencing. The F.T.C. says that the agency mistook “common retail practice” for monopolistic behavior. Amazon is being sued by 17 states and the federal government, alleging that its online store and merchant service stifle competitiveness. The lawsuit raises the possibility that the company’s structure could be altered.

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   1. The F.T.C. The F.T.C. filed a lawsuit to block Microsoft’s $69 Billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. If allowed to proceed, this would be the largest consumer technology acquisition since AOL acquired Time Warner over two decades ago. The case was filed after European regulators scrutinized the deal. Vertical mergers are difficult to win because Microsoft controls the consoles and platforms that Activision uses. Microsoft has announced that it has closed the deal with Activision Blizzard. This means that the tech giants can still use their cash to grow even bigger. Read more >

      Jul. 11, 2023

   2. In a 53-page ruling, a judge said the F.T.C. The F.T.C. has failed to prove that the merger would lead to a substantial reduction of competition, which would harm consumers.
      The F.T.C. The F.T.C. Microsoft has the opportunity to argue the case before its internal court. Microsoft claims that a delay will essentially kill the deal. Read more >

      December 8, 2022

      In their suit, the F.T.C. Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard will harm consumers, as Microsoft can use Activision’s blockbuster titles like Call of Duty in order to lure rival gamers. The Justice Department attempted to block a merger between the United States’ largest publisher and a key competitor. The D.O.J. After a summer trial, a judge wrote a 58 page memo saying that UnitedHealth Group has more incentive to protect customer information as it grows their businesses than to misuse it. The Justice Department argues that UnitedHealth Group’s deal to acquire Change Healthcare, a health technology company, would give the giant insurer access to sensitive data it could use against its competitors.

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