Silton Appointed Co-Lead Counsel in Eyewear Antitrust Class Action

Lockridge Grindal Nauen is proud to announce that LGN partner Heidi Silton has been appointed as co-lead counsel in the In re Eyewear Antitrust Litigation. This large class action lawsuit against the European eyewear conglomerate EssilorLuxottica S.A. and its affiliated companies alleges abuse of monopoly power in the eyewear market.

EssilorLuxottica owns well-known premium eyewear brands such as Oakley, Ray-Ban, Persol, Arnett, and Oliver Peoples. It also owns the largest eyewear retailers in the United States including Target Optical, LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, and Sunglass Hut, as well as several online counterparts.

The multi-dimensional anticompetitive scheme alleged by Plaintiffs resulted in supra-competitive prices for eyewear. Plaintiff notably alleges that the anticompetitive scheme has allowed EssilorLuxottica to “sustain 1,000 to 5,000 percent retail markups” on premium-branded eyewear, while increasing market share and operating margins.

Congratulations to Heidi and the antitrust team which includes Jessica Servais, Joe Bourne, Eura Chang, Halima Bareentto and Cheryl.