What is an antitrust class action lawsuit?

Private antitrust lawsuits are frequently brought as class actions under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or comparable state statutes. An antitrust class action is a lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of consumers or businesses who have suffered the same type of harm caused by the same bad conduct that violated the antitrust laws. Instead of each consumer or business bringing an individual action, one or more may bring an action on behalf of the entire proposed “class” against those companies or individuals who have allegedly violated antitrust laws causing injury to the class. It is common that a number of antitrust class actions are brought relating to the same events, especially following a government antitrust enforcement action. If these cases are federal and span different districts across the country, they are likely to be transferred to a single district under the multi-district litigation provisions that govern federal courts.