Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Associate Samuel Smith provided updates on two significant cases in the January 2026 edition of E-Briefs, News and Notes, a monthly publication by the Antitrust and Consumer Protection Section of the California Lawyers Association.
The De Coster v. Amazon case involves a class of approximately 300 million consumers who allege that Amazon’s market power allowed it to impose inflated fees on third-party sellers, resulting in higher prices for goods sold on the platform. The court’s certification of the class raises significant questions about antitrust and consumer protection law, particularly concerning market dominance, pricing practices, and the potential for class action litigation to address these issues.
The In re Visa Debit Card Antitrust Litigation case involves Visa debit cardholders and merchants alleging that Visa monopolized the debit network services market through anti-competitive contracts, with implications regarding the standing of indirect purchasers and the scope of damages under federal and state laws.
Smith handles commercial litigation, employment law, and healthcare matters. Prior to joining GRSM, he worked as a law clerk at a plaintiff-side firm, assisting with research, drafting, and editing in antitrust and trademark infringement cases. Smith’s degree in economics and experience developing and investigating potential antitrust lawsuits on the plaintiff side allow him to comprehensively evaluate and understand the different theories of economic damages in business and unfair competition disputes.
Read the January 2026 issue of E-Briefs, News, and Notes.