Edgeworth Clients Hershey, Mars, and Nestle Win Summary Judgment

In Re: Chocolate Confectionary Antitrust Litigation, a Pennsylvania federal court granted summary judgment to defendants Hershey, Mars, and Nestle related to claims that the chocolate retailers conspired to raise the price of chocolate candy in a multi-district antitrust litigation. The Court observed several business justifications for price increases, including the increase in the cost of inputs such as cocoa. Ultimately, the Court found that the US chocolate manufacturers’ actions demonstrated lawful “unilateral pricing decision(s) and divergent strategies.”

Several Edgeworth experts, including Chief Executive Officer Dr. John H. Johnson and Partner Matthew Milner, provided economic analysis and testimony during multiple phases of the litigation on behalf of Hershey, Mars, and Nestle.