Judge in US Antitrust Case Against Amazon Recuses Himself, According to Reuters

A judge overseeing the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon has stepped down from the case, as indicated in a court filing on Wednesday.

Senior Judge John Coughenour was appointed to the case on Tuesday when the antitrust lawsuit was officially lodged in a federal court in Seattle. The reason for his recusal was not specified in the filed documents.

The case has now been reassigned to U.S. District Judge John Chun, in accordance with court procedures. Judge Chun was nominated by President Joe Biden last year and previously served on the Washington State Court of Appeals.

The FTC’s lawsuit alleges that Amazon has been misusing its position as a leading player in the retail market by favoring its own products and penalizing sellers who attempt to offer lower prices on competing platforms.

Additionally, Amazon is contending with several similar, smaller private consumer lawsuits that are currently pending in the same federal court before Judge Ricardo Martinez. The FTC has requested that its case be assigned to the same judge to avoid overlapping issues or conflicts.