Matson won on summary judgment in this antitrust case involving shipping container carriers.
American President Lines (APL), a shipping container carrier and plaintiff in this case, claimed that Matson, a United States-based shipping container carrier, was abusing its market power in service between the United States to Guam. APL alleged Matson was employing strategies that were anticompetitive, including bundling and tying. Counsel for Matson retained Cornerstone Research to support Professor Ashley Langer of the University of Arizona as an economic expert in this matter.
Professor Langer submitted multiple expert reports and was deposed twice in January 2024. She found that:
- Matson’s and APL’s market shares can be explained by product differentiation. APL is a lower-quality carrier with longer shipping times and less reliability from the US West Coast to Guam, compared to Matson.
- Any bundling or tying claims were actually procompetitive, reflecting efficiencies and benefitting customers. Moreover, the alleged bundling or tying did not apply to a large enough share of the alleged market to foreclose competition.
- The opposing expert’s analyses were unreliable.
In March 2025, the court found for Matson on summary judgement.