Schnader Partner Carl Schaerf Offers Comment on eBay Lawsuit

Carl J. Schaerf, chair of the Firm’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation Practice Group, offered comment for the article “If eBay Lawsuit Goes Class Action, Watch Out” published by PYMNTS.com on June 7, 2012. Mr. Schaerf discussed the April 2010 case in which an online retailer sued eBay over its payment acceptance policies. After a recent decision to narrow the scope of the case from the entire online payment market to only the online auction space, the case is set for certification filing later this month. Mr. Schaerf said class certification could change the course of the case dramatically. That possibility, says Mr. Schaerf, is what “puts the fear into eBay,” because it would immediately make potential settlement or damages a much more expensive proposition.