Amazon Fails to Sink Covid-19 Era Price Gouging Class Action (1)

Amazon.com Inc. will face a suit saying it unlawfully raised prices on consumer goods and food items to unfair levels during the Covid-19 pandemic, after a federal judge said class members plausibly pleaded a claim under Washington state’s consumer protection law.

The named class members sufficiently alleged the company increased costs to reap “extraordinary” profits during a time when Americans were forced to buy products online instead of face-to-face, the US District Court for the Western District of Washington said Monday. Judge Robert S. Lasnik denied Amazon’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Numerous companies have been accused of treating consumers ...