Private Plaintiff And Class Action Price Gouging Claims Spread As Emergency Continues

Private plaintiffs and state enforcers have been targeting businesses up and down the supply chain for price gouging violations. Some of these actions have been over the price of goods long associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as toilet paper and medical supplies. Yet others, such as a dispute in which a California winery has accused the company managing its storage facility of illegally increasing its rates, show the wide range of businesses potentially affected by price gouging laws. And with many state price gouging laws likely to remain in effect until at least early 2021, these lawsuits provide insight into the scope of expected price gouging claims going forward. A recent string of lawsuits brought against egg producers provides a particularly good vehicle for doing so.