Bonta's office said the ruling rejects a "key aspect" of Amazon's defense against claims that the company's pricing practices violate California's Unfair Competition Law and Cartwright Act.
"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 press release.
According to the attorney general's office, the court 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 office said Amazon "lost on all points" on that argument.
The underlying lawsuit, filed September 15, 2022, alleges Amazon requires merchants to agree not to offer lower prices on competing sites including Walmart, Target, and eBay, and in some cases on the merchants' own websites. Merchants who do not comply face penalties including loss of the "Buy Box" or reduced listing prominence, according to the complaint as described by the AG.
"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. "My office is committed to protecting fair competition and encouraging innovation; we will not stand by idly when powerful companies seek to manipulate the market for their own gains."
Bonta's office said it previously defeated Amazon's motion to dismiss on the basis that California's antitrust laws did not reach the company's conduct. A separate preliminary injunction request, filed after what the office called a "robust discovery process," is set for hearing on July 23, 2026.
The attorney general's office said discovery uncovered evidence that Amazon, through its vendors, "agreed to increase and fix the prices of products on Amazon and other retail websites." Amazon has not conceded the allegations, and no court has made findings on the merits.