Antitrust Suits Could Face Major Hurdles With Class Action Bill

The House is slated to vote on a bill the week of March 6 that could limit plaintiffs’ ability to hold companies liable for antitrust violations by preventing them from suing as a class.

The measure could have sweeping ramifications for antitrust cases. Class action lawsuits are often the only way customers hurt by anticompetitive companies can receive compensation because the cost of bringing such cases is so high.

Foreign companies in particular could benefit from the bill because they’ve been targets of major recent antitrust class actions, Irving Scher, partner at plaintiff’s law firm Hausfeld LLP, told Bloomberg BNA. ...