California is seeking a court order to immediately stop Amazon from engaging in what it alleges is illegal price fixing.
Attorney General Rob Bonta released an unredacted version of the state's motion Monday. It names major retailers including Walmart, Target, Chewy, and Best Buy as participants in an alleged scheme to keep prices higher across multiple retailers at Amazon’s urging.
"Amazon has strong-armed vendors into raising prices elsewhere or pulling products from competing retailers altogether so that Amazon can protect its profit margins. That's not competition, it's price fixing, and under California law, it's illegal."
California first sued Amazon in 2022 under the state's antitrust law. The case is scheduled for trial in January.
The AG is also asking the State Superior Court in San Francisco to appoint an independent monitor to ensure Amazon complies with any order.
CapRadio reached out to Amazon for comment but has not heard back.