Comcast Seeks Rehearing of 7th Circuit Antitrust Complaint Decision

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' reversal of a lower court's dismissal of antitrust claims against Comcast (see 2002260020) misread past refusal-to-deal precedent, which is clear that antitrust law doesn't interfere with a company's refusal to deal with another in most instances, said a Comcast petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc (docket 18-2852, in Pacer) Monday. It said plaintiffs can't pursue claims on conduct that's just as consistent with competitive business strategy as with anti-competitive activity. Viamedia, which sued Comcast for elbowing it out of the interconnects advertising market in some cities, didn't comment Wednesday.