Amazon Accused of Price-Gouging During Covid-19 Emergency (1)

Amazon.com Inc. unlawfully increased prices on numerous consumer goods in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, in some cases by more than 500%, a new proposed class suit in California federal court alleges.

These increases “are flagrantly unlawful under California penal law, which makes presumptively illegal any price increase exceeding 10% during a state or local emergency,” Victoria Ballinger and Mary McQueen allege in a suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, Amazon’s sales in some categories such as home items are up more than 1,000% as worried consumers ...