Opinion ID: 2936316
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Summary of the Evidence as a Whole

Text: Considering the evidence as a whole, the Plaintiffs have failed to create a reasonable inference that the Chocolate Manufacturers more likely than not conspired to fix prices in the U.S. chocolate market. Compared to other cases where we decided that summary judgment should not have been granted, the Plaintiffs’ case here is relatively weak. Cf. Flat Glass, 385 F.3d at 369 (reversing summary judgment for the defendants based in part on evidence about price increases that required cooperation of competitors and coordinated price increases suspiciously close in time to meetings and 51 communications involving the conspirators); Petruzzi’s, 998 F.2d at 1234–37 (reversing summary judgment for the defendants based on witness testimony about a “code” among the defendants not to compete on existing accounts and about discussions of price fixing at trade association meetings; taped conversations in which a conspirator told another company to “play by the rules”; and economic evidence showing that the only rational explanation for the price data was an unlawful conspiracy). Evidence of a disconnected foreign conspiracy, limited possession of advance pricing information, mere opportunities to conspire without suspect meetings or conversations about pricing, conduct that is consistent with pre-conspiracy conduct, and a weak showing of pretext do not support a reasonable inference of a conspiracy. Granted, we held that some of this evidence individually was insufficient “without more,” but taken together, the aforementioned evidence does not provide the necessary “more” to survive summary judgment. In short, all of this evidence is as consistent with interdependence as with a conspiracy, and as such, it does not tend to exclude the possibility that the Chocolate Manufacturers acted lawfully. Although our analysis does not exactly mirror the District Court’s, we agree with the District Court’s conclusion: the evidence in this case calls for summary judgment in favor of the Chocolate Manufacturers.