South Dakotans to get $390K in e-book settlement
South Dakotans to get $390,000 in e-book price-fixing settlement from 5 national publishers
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Consumers in South Dakota are getting back nearly $400,000 as part of a partial national settlement in an electronic book price-fixing lawsuit.
It was filed against Apple Inc. and five of the six of the nation's largest e-book publishers, Hachette Book Group Inc., HarperCollins Publishers LLC, Simon & Schuster Inc., Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC and Penguin Group Inc.
Those publishers settled claims against them for a total payment of $166 million. Attorney General Marty Jackley says more than $390,000 of that will be distributed to South Dakota residents.
Apple did not settle. And during a trial last year it was found to have played a central role in a conspiracy to fix prices. A second trial to determine how much it owes will be held in the future.
