Amazon accused of antitrust behavior

The Biden administration has requested a judge to reopen a case alleging that Amazon.com Inc. engaged in anti-competitive activities in Washington, D.C.

On March 18, a Supreme Court judge rejected the complaint, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate assertions that Amazon’s partnerships with vendors increase costs for customers.

The US Department of Justice declared the wrong decision

According to the US Department of Justice, the ruling erroneously combined two areas of study that are important to substantiate such allegations.

The Justice Department said in a statement that if the court’s judgment is not overturned, it “might imperil antitrust compliance in the District of Columbia by unreasonably increasing the bar for plaintiffs challenging anticompetitive contractual limitations.”

Attorney General Carl Racine filed a lawsuit against Amazon last year, alleging that the online retailer encourages higher-than-necessary consumer prices by enforcing policies that guarantee Amazon a minimum profit on every item sold while discouraging sellers from offering their products at lower prices elsewhere.