Bonta's office said the ruling, issued the prior day, rejected what it described as "a key aspect" of Amazon's defense. The press release said the decision "marks a significant defeat in Amazon's continuing efforts to convince the Court that California's antitrust laws do not apply to Amazon's anticompetitive conduct."
"This victory is a key update in this case and sends a clear message to current and future behemoth corporations: The California Department of Justice will not allow consumers to be cheated," Bonta said in the announcement.
According to the press release, the court "once again found that Amazon cannot demonstrate how removing the 'Add to Cart' and 'Buy Now' buttons — for products that don't comply with Amazon's pricing practices — is legal or procompetitive." The AG's office said Amazon "lost on all points."
Bonta filed the suit on September 15, 2022, alleging violations of California's Unfair Competition Law and Cartwright Act. The AG's office said Amazon's pricing practices "have allowed it to expand and entrench the company's enormous market power as an online retail store, impede fair market competition, and impose prices above normal competitive levels."
The office said it previously defeated Amazon's motion to dismiss on the argument that state antitrust laws did not reach Amazon's conduct. According to the release, merchants must agree not to offer lower prices on competing sites including Walmart, Target and eBay, "and in some cases, even on their own websites."
Bonta has also filed a request for a preliminary injunction, which the press release said followed "a robust discovery process" that "uncovered substantial evidence that Amazon, through its vendors, agreed to increase and fix the prices of products on Amazon and other retail websites." That motion will be heard on July 23, 2026.
"While consumers face a crisis of affordability, there is no room for anticompetitive pricing practices that impede free market competition and raise prices for consumers," Bonta said.