EssilorLuxottica, the world’s biggest eyeglass manufacturer, was sued over claims it and other luxury makers schemed to inflate retail prices.
EssilorLuxottica is the “instigator and primary enforcer” of the price-fixing scheme in the US market, forming illegal agreements with Frames for America Inc., For Eyes Optical Co., and Oakley Inc., among others, according to the consumer complaint filed Friday in San Francisco federal court as a proposed class action.
EssilorLuxottica’s exclusive licensing and sales agreements with competitors have inflated the price of eyewear by as much as 1,000%, according to the complaint. EssilorLuxottica’s vision benefits subsidiary, EyeMed, has also formed anticompetitive agreements with thousands of eyecare providers to “channel millions of consumers into purchasing the conglomerate’s over-priced eyewear,” the consumers allege.
EssilorLuxottica didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuit.
The case is Fathmath v. EssilorLuxottica S.A., 23-cv-3626, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).
