Reuters reports Federal Judge Denise Cote has granted class action status to a group of plaintiffs suing Apple over its collusion with publishers to fix the price of e-books. Judge Cote is the same jurist who oversaw the U.S. Department of Justice’s e-books antitrust case against Apple.
Reuters, via MacRumors:
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said the plaintiffs had “more than met their burden” to allow them to sue as a group. She rejected Apple’s contentions that the claims were too different from each other, or that some plaintiffs were not harmed because some e-book prices fell.
While some observers have estimated that Apple could owe as much as $500 million following the guilty verdict in the Federal antitrust case, more judgements are possible in this class action suit if the plaintiffs are victorious.
The class action suit only applies to consumers where their state governments have not already sued Apple. Thirty-Three states have sued Apple so far, seeking more than $800 million in damages.
