The Blog of Legal Times reports that separate price-fixing lawsuits filed against payment giants Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. by independent ATM operators have been consolidated and will proceed as one case.
According to the BLT post, U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson said she intends to consolidate the cases since the antitrust violations alleged in the suits are nearly identical. The article says attorneys have until Dec. 2 to respond.
The lawsuits involve allegations by independent ATM operators that Visa and MasterCard have conspired with banks to limit ATM operators' ability to set fees. The first lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in October, is being led by the National ATM Council. That suit was followed by three more in the same court on behalf of ATM users, the BLT post said.
Besides Visa and MasterCard, JP Morgan Chase & Co, Bank of America N.A., and Wells Fargo Bank N.A. are also named as defendants in the consolidated case.
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