Amazon Targeted With Consumer Antitrust Claims Echoing D.C. Suit

Amazon was hit with federal antitrust claims in Seattle by consumers challenging its pricing policies for merchants, just hours after the Washington, D.C., attorney general became the first government enforcer to bring a serious antitrust case against the retail giant.

A pair of frequent Amazon shoppers, backed by major plaintiffs’ firms, filed proposed class actions late Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, claiming Amazon is unlawfully enforcing “most favored nation” price policies against third-party sellers on its platform.

The provisions allegedly bar merchants who make up “the heart” of Amazon’s business from offering lower ...