Court Rejects T-Mobile’s Appeal Bid in Antitrust Case Over Sprint Merger

T-Mobile faces continued antitrust claims over its $26 billion acquisition of Sprint Corp. following a recent decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. On Thursday, the court rejected T-Mobile’s attempt to appeal a district court ruling that had granted the plaintiffs—Verizon and AT&T customers—antitrust standing to argue that the merger resulted in higher prices, reported Bloomberg.

This ruling is a significant setback for T-Mobile, which completed the merger with Sprint in 2020 amidst considerable scrutiny from federal and state authorities, including the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, and state attorneys general.

Related: T-Mobile Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Sprint Merger After Appeal Denied

The plaintiffs assert that the T-Mobile-Sprint merger has adversely affected them by reducing competition and leading to increased service prices. They are seeking billions of dollars in damages and aim to reverse the merger through legal action. T-Mobile, however, maintains that these plaintiffs, being customers of rival companies, should not have the standing to challenge the merger.

Despite T-Mobile’s contention, the case will proceed in the lower court. Brendan Glackin, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, welcomed the appeals court’s decision. “We look forward to developing the record and trying the case to a jury in Chicago,” Glackin stated.

Source: News Bloomberg Law