A federal appellate court has upheld the dismissal of a longstanding antitrust suit against Hearst and Time Inc.—among other current and former magazine publishers—filed by defunct wholesaler Anderson News, LLC, likely ending a legal battle so protracted that several of its original parties no longer exist. In an opinion released Monday reflecting a unanimous decision from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Susan L. Carney wrote that the Southern District of New York had ruled correctly in 2015 when it dismissed a $371 million lawsuit brought by Anderson against six major magazine publishers, among other defendants. Anderson's suit alleged that the publishers illegally colluded to drive it out of business in response to a seven-cent surcharge Anderson attempted to impose, in early 2009, on copies of magazines it delivered to retailers on behalf of the defendants—which included the aforementioned Hearst and Time Inc., as well as American Media, Inc., Bauer Publishing, Hachette Filipacchi Media, Rodale, Hudson News, and four distributors, including Curtis Circulation, who partnered with the publishers. The publishers—who at the time accounted for 42 percent of the U.S. market for single-copy magazine sales—balked at the proposed surcharge, instead opting to go with other wholesalers such as Hudson News and News Group, and Anderson was forced to cease operations and file for bankruptcy just weeks later. Some of the defendants, including AMI, Hearst, and Time Inc.,... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'
[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]