By Michael Balsamo
A federal judge on Monday dismissed antitrust lawsuits brought against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of state attorneys general, dealing a significant blow to attempts by regulators to rein in tech giants.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled Monday that the lawsuits were “legally insufficient” and didn’t provide enough evidence to prove that Facebook was a monopoly. The ruling dismisses the complaint but not the case, meaning the FTC could refile another complaint.
“These allegations -- which do not even provide an estimated actual figure or range for Facebook’s market share at any point over the past ten years -- ultimately fall short of plausibly establishing that Facebook holds market power,” he said.
The U.S. government and 48 states and districts sued Facebook in December 2020, accusing the tech giant of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors and seeking remedies that could include a forced spinoff of the social network’s Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services.
The FTC had alleged Facebook engaged in a “a systematic strategy” to eliminate its competition, including by purchasing smaller up-and-coming rivals like Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014. New York Attorney General Letitia James said when filing the suit that Facebook “used its monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users.”
Boasberg dismissed the separate complaint made by the state attorneys general as well.
The Federal Trade Commission has begun notifying people that they may be entitled to some claims from Fortnite after a settlement from alleged deceptive business practices.
The Federal Reserve continues to meet over monetary policy but is expected to hold rates steady.
Eli Lilly is suing 10 medical spas, wellness clinics and compounding pharmacies across the country for allegedly selling cheaper counterfeit drugs.
Brenda LaManna, founder and president of Damselfly Flowers, and Warren Schorr, senior vice president with Crayola, joined Cheddar News to discuss how and why the famous Crayon company is launching an online flower business.
Ed Egilinsky, managing director and head of sales and distribution and alternative with Direxion, joined Cheddar News to discuss how short-term traders are preparing for any forward-looking guidance from the Federal Reserve about any potential rate hikes. Egilinsky also discussed how traders are looking at the overall banking sector for the short-term.
Mark Spoonauer, global editor-in-chief with Tom's Guide, joined Cheddar News to get a sneak peek at some of Apple's new products that are set to be released to the general public, including the iPhone 15 and Apple Watch.
Stocks rose Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve's continued two-day meeting on its monetary policy.
Kraft Heinz said Tuesday it's recalling more than 83,000 cases of individually-wrapped Kraft Singles American processed cheese slices because part of the wrapper could stick to the slice and become a choking hazard.
California regulators on Tuesday ordered one of the country’s oldest bottled water brands to stop using some of the natural springs it has relied on for more than 100 years to market its products throughout the western U.S.
Parents whose kids bought virtual gear without their knowledge on the popular Fortnite video game could soon be able to get a refund.
