No class-action antitrust claims against Microsoft
SeattlePI | at | by Mike
A federal judge yesterday likely saved Microsoft Corp. millions of dollars by shielding it from class-action antitrust claims. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz ruled that consumers who bought Microsoft's software directly from the company aren't a large, nationwide class. He made that ruling because, he said, the consumers' lawyers hadn't identified a group of plaintiffs typical of U.S. customers who bought Microsoft's Windows and Office programs.
Yesterday's ruling was a blow to plaintiffs' lawyers who sought to use the prospect of a multimillion-dollar damage award, won on behalf of millions of consumers, to press Microsoft into a costly settlement. Motz criticized the plaintiffs' attorneys, saying they "view this litigation as a chess game in which lawyers, not their clients, are the players."