ProfessorBrittany L. Raposa
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
Brief Fact Summary. Plaintiffs, subscribers to local phone and internet services, sue Bell Atlantic and local telephone companies alleging violations of anti-trust laws, allowing each local phone company to monopolize its own market.
Synopsis of Rule of Law. Under § 1 of the Sherman Act, stating a claim requires a complaint with enough factual matter (taken as true) to suggest that a valid claim arises.
Issue. What a plaintiff must plead in order to state a claim under § 1 of the Sherman Act.
Held. Applying the general standards to a §1 claim, the court held that stating such a claim requires a complaint with enough factual matter (taken as true) to suggest that an agreement was made. Here, the antitrust conspiracy was not suggested by the facts, which thus fails to state a valid §1 claim.
The Supreme Court granted certiorari to address the proper standard for pleading an antitrust conspiracy through allegations of parallel conduct.
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