T-Mobile faces private antitrust lawsuit over Sprint merger

US District Judge Thomas Durkin in Chicago ruled  a lawsuit filed by customers of AT&T and Verizon over T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint may proceed because the plaintiffs “plausibly” argued that higher prices “flowed directly” from the $26 billion merger. The proposed class action was filed in 2022 and seeks a range of penalties, including undoing the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile. The class-action suit was filed by seven AT&T and Verizon subscribers on behalf of millions of customers who were affected. AT&T and Verizon are not directly involved in the suit. In a 41-page ruling, Judge Durkin said the merger eliminated the two “maverick” firms that were responsible for much of the price competition and innovation among the carriers.