Hartley LLP attorneys were part of the executive committee in this significant antitrust case, one of the largest in U.S. history. In it, merchants challenged the very structure of the credit card industry, asserting that the setting of interchange fees on merchants by credit card associations and banks constitutes illegal price fixing. On December 13, 2019, the Eastern District of New York granted final approval of a $6.3 billion settlement on behalf of roughly 10 million class members after many years of hard fought litigation. The case was initially filed in 2004 and fiercely litigated for nearly 10 years before a first settlement was reached. In 2013 that settlement was reversed by the Second Circuit and remanded. Plaintiffs, including Hartley LLP’s client, and their counsel continued litigating until a second settlement was finally reached and recently approved by the Court.
