Did you buy cleaning products, medical products, home office equipment, outdoor goods or other items via Amazon.com during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic? Alleged unfair price gouging of essential goods may have caused you to pay more.
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WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
Hagens Berman's legal team conducted an independent investigation revealing Amazon.com allegedly increased prices for essential consumer goods during the COVID-19 crisis, causing consumers worldwide to pay artificially increased prices. Consumers then filed a class-action lawsuit against the world’s largest online retailer accusing it of illegally high prices during the onset of the pandemic.
WHEN IS PRICE-GOUGING IS ILLEGAL?
Washington law prohibits unfair commercial practices that harm the public interest. According to the lawsuit, Amazon allegedly engaged in unlawful price increases for essential goods by upwards of 1,800 percent during the COVID-19-related states of emergency declared nationwide. The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that price hikes during an emergency may constitute an unfair practice, clearing the way for consumers to hold price-gougers accountable.
WHAT CONSUMER GOODS ARE AFFECTED BY THE LAWSUIT?
The price-gouging lawsuit against Amazon includes detailed price comparisons, including the price of toilet paper increasing up to 1,044 percent, from $17.48 to $200, among other instances. While many consumer goods and foot items spiked in price during the pandemic, some of the most affected products include:
- Medical supplies, such as face masks, thermometers, respirators, pulse oximeters, medical gowns and gloves
- Cleaning products
- Work-from-home office equipment, such as office chairs and webcams
- Home entertainment or exercise products, such as the Amazon Echo, Amazon Firestick, videogames, resistance bands and dumbbells
- Outdoor goods, such as patio heaters, portable swimming pools, and camping gear
WHAT ARE MY CONSUMER RIGHTS AGAINST AMAZON?
The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for the alleged illegal price increases pushed onto consumers. Hagens Berman believes that those who may have paid high prices for online purchases due to price-gouging deserve monetary relief. Under consumer law, attorneys seek treble damages as well as injunctive relief barring Amazon’s overpricing practices.
TOP CONSUMER RIGHTS FIRM
Hagens Berman is one of the most successful consumer litigation law firms in the U.S. and has achieved more than $345 billion in settlements for consumers in lawsuits against food corporations, automakers, big banks and others. Hagens Berman has achieved many record-breaking victories in price-fixing matters, and your claim will be handled by attorneys experienced in consumer law.
NO COST TO YOU
Class members will never be asked to pay attorney fees or legal costs. In the event Hagens Berman or any other firm obtains a settlement that provides benefits to class members, the court will decide a reasonable fee to be awarded to the class’s legal team.
CASE TIMELINE
This is a significant victory for consumers who allege that Amazon made billions in excess profits during the pandemic. As Judge Lasnik noted in his order, Amazon’s internal documents show that the company understood what constituted price gouging and represented to the Attorney General that it was actively protecting consumers from it. These admissions undermine Amazon’s challenge that the concept of price gouging is too vague—its own records tell a different story.
In a separate order, Judge Lasnik also found that Amazon’s subpoenas were designed to harass and embarrass the class representatives and to pressure them into abandoning the case. He therefore quashed the subpoenas. This, too, is an important win—one that reinforces protections for class representatives willing to stand up to powerful corporations and pursue accountability.
On Sept. 12, 2025, Judge Robert S. Lasnik for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington issued an order granting plaintiffs’ motion to compel. This win for consumers allows attorneys to obtain information regarding Amazon’s document preservation efforts.
“There is no dispute that evidence has been lost,” Lasnik said in the order. “Plaintiffs will, therefore, ‘be allowed to take the ‘initial step’ of discovering the content of the litigation hold notice . . . so that they can ‘investigate and possibly prove spoliation’’ and determine whether the loss was willful or merely negligent.”
“We are encouraged by the court’s order, but it is just the first step,” said Hagens Berman’s Steve Berman. “Amazon’s alarming failure to preserve documents in this case has prejudiced plaintiffs and the integrity of the judicial process. We will evaluate additional preservation information the court has compelled Amazon to provide, to assess if spoliation sanctions are warranted.”
On Jan. 17, 2025, Amazon sought dismissal of the proposed class-action lawsuit brought by consumers.
In response, Hagens Berman’s managing partner and co-founder, Steve Berman, issued the following statement: “Amazon told the world and Congress that it was policing price-gouging. Now that the Washington Supreme Court has held Amazon accountable, it’s certainly cynical for Amazon that it attack as unconstitutional the ruling of the Washington Supreme Court. But we didn’t begin this fight expecting Amazon to concede. We remain hopeful that the court will thoughtfully review the information available and we look forward to continuing to represent the proposed class in this important consumer-protection lawsuit.”
