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

A California judge on Thursday said he was likely to deny a bid to block Amazon from allegedly fixing prices by pressuring rivals to raise prices, in a setback for California Attorney General ‌Rob Bonta's ⁠case ⁠against the online retailer.

* Bonta sued Amazon in 2022, ​accusing the company of dominating online retail with anticompetitive tactics that ​raise prices for consumers.

* In April, Bonta said his office had uncovered evidence of Amazon getting ​brands including Levi Strauss, Allergan and ⁠Hanes to ‌prod online rivals such as ​Walmart ​and Target to raise prices for consumers ⁠so it would not be undercut. Bonta asked ​the judge to block Amazon from ​illegally fixing prices.


* Judge Ethan Schulman in San Francisco Superior Court said at a hearing on Thursday that he had tentatively ruled to deny the request, though a final decision ‌will not come until after the hearing.

* Schulman expressed skepticism towards the request, ​saying the state ​had relied ⁠on evidence from 2023.

* A Bonta spokesperson called the ruling disappointing but said his office looks forward to ​trial. "We continue to believe that Amazon's ongoing price fixing behavior is harming California consumers," the spokesperson said.

* The case is scheduled for trial in January.