NEW YORK – Plaintiffs in the Visa/MasterCard antitrust case asked the federal court here last night asked for a two-day extension of tomorrow’s deadline for filing their opposition to the landmark settlement because of logistical problems caused by Hurricane Sandy.
The plaintiffs, including D'Agostino Supermarkets, NATSO, Inc., National Community Pharmacists Association, National Cooperative Grocers Association and the National Restaurant Association, all plan to file formal objections to the $7.2 billion settlement over credit card swipe fees but will have difficulty doing so by the court-appointed October 31 deadline because of the closure of legal offices at their New York law firms and power outages related to the massive storm, according to documents filed with the court last night.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, which is being pounded by the huge storm, has set an expedited process for reviewing the antitrust settlement, which was submitted to it on October 19. The schedule calls for formal opposition to be filed in less than two weeks, by October 31, and oral arguments contesting the deal on November 9.
