Apple and Amazon have successfully defended themselves against a mass lawsuit in the Unitef Kingdom, which alleged that the two companies colluded to remove third-party resellers of Apple products from Amazon’s platform.
The case, brought by consumer law expert Christine Riefa on behalf of approximately 36 million British consumers who had purchased Apple or Beats products, was dismissed by a tribunal on Tuesday.
Apple and Amazon argued that the lawsuit, valued at £494 million ($602 million) plus interest, lacked merit and urged the Competition Appeal Tribunal to dismiss it.
The tribunal agreed, ruling that the case could not proceed because Riefa failed to prove she had the “sufficient independence or robustness” needed to represent the class of claimants, particularly concerning third-party funding for the litigation.
Riefa’s legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and spokespeople for Apple and Amazon also refrained from commenting.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal’s decision to reject the case for certification is uncommon, as the certification process typically has a relatively low threshold for approval.
