Amazon sued by FTC and 17 states over allegations it inflates online prices and overcharges sellers
Sep 26, 2023, 9:17 AM
FILE - The Amazon logo is displayed, Sept. 6, 2012, in Santa Monica, Calif. Amazon's profitable cloud business will invest roughly $7.8 billion by the end of 2029 to expand its central data center operations in Ohio, state leaders announced Monday, June 26, 2023 — further advancing the state's efforts to establish itself as the Midwest's technology hub. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, is the result of a years-long investigation into Amazon’s businesses and one of the most significant legal challenges brought against the company in its nearly 30-year history.
According to a news release sent by the agency, the FTC and states that joined the lawsuit are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction court that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its “monopolistic control to restore competition.”
“The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them,” FTC chairman Lina Khan said in a statement.
Many had wondered whether the agency would seek to a forced break-up of the retail giant, which is also dominant in cloud computing and has a growing presence in other sectors like groceries and health care. In a briefing with reporters, Khan dodged questions of whether that will happen.
“At this stage, the focus is more on liability,” she said.
