U.S. court dismisses D.C. antitrust lawsuit against Amazon

(Reuters) -A U.S. court dismissed a lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc on Friday that accused the company of antitrust violations for barring third-party sellers from offering better deals for their products elsewhere.

Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia granted Amazon’s motion to dismiss the complaint filed last year by Washington D.C. attorney general Karl Racine.

“We believe that the Superior Court got this wrong, and its oral ruling did not seem to consider the detailed allegations in the complaint and a recent decision of a federal court to allow a nearly identical lawsuit to move forward,” the Office of the Attorney General spokesperson said in an emailed statement, adding that the office was considering its legal options.

The decision did not state a reason for dismissing the case.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Racine alleged the online retailer’s policy could make prices for a given product more expensive on platforms that compete with Amazon, since its prices include fees that can run as high as 40% of the total price.

Amazon on Thursday closed a $8.5 billion deal to buy MGM, combining the fabled moviemaker behind “Rocky” and James Bond with the Seattle-based retailing giant as it looks to draw consumers through more streaming video.

(Reporting by Rhea Binoy in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)