Ariz. AG Sued Amazon Without Reviewing Company Documents, Says Amazon

Amazon was “surprised and disappointed” by Arizona's consumer fraud and antitrust lawsuits against the company, said Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle in an emailed statement. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) filed the suits Wednesday in Maricopa County Superior Court (see 2405150044). Mayes initiated the cases “without reviewing a single document from Amazon, resulting in a fundamental misunderstanding and mischaracterization of how Amazon’s businesses work,” Doyle said. The antitrust lawsuit asserts that Amazon’s “unlawful practices -- its deceptive favoring of higher-priced first-party and [Fulfilled by Amazon] offers -- were carried out with the intent that consumers would rely upon its Buy Box recommendation in connection with the sale or advertisement of merchandise.” The consumer fraud case seeks orders enjoining Amazon’s “unlawful practices -- including its efforts to frustrate Prime subscribers’ efforts to cancel their subscriptions” – and disgorgement of its “excess profits that it received from obstructing its Prime subscribers’ efforts to cancel their subscriptions.” The Amazon Prime sign-up and cancellation processes “are clear and simple by design, meeting a high bar for customer satisfaction well above legal requirements,” Doyle said. Customers “cancel their Prime membership with a few clicks from the home page.” The Arizona lawsuits “would force Amazon to engage in practices that actually harm consumers and the many businesses that sell in our store -- such as having to feature higher prices,” he said.