Qualcomm Wins Bid to Undo 250-Million-Member Antitrust Class

Qualcomm Inc. won its bid to undo a district court order certifying a class of 250 million people in antitrust litigation over its alleged monopoly of modern cellphone chips, after the Ninth Circuit said Wednesday the court erred in its choice of law analysis.

Because of differences in relevant state law, common issues of law don’t predominate, the court said, vacating the district court’s order certifying a nationwide indirect purchaser class in the multidistrict litigation.

Consumers who bought certain cellular phones for their own use sued Qualcomm alleging antitrust and consumer law violations. They sought to certify a class of ...