Opinion ID: 785703
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether the Evidence Was Sufficient to Establish an Antitrust Conspiracy

Text: 41 Defendants argue that the jury's verdict must be reversed, because the evidence was insufficient to establish a conspiracy between Ford and American Coach. In determining whether the evidence is sufficient to support a jury's verdict, we view the evidence in a light most favorable to the appellee. Pumps & Power Co. v. Southern States Indus., Inc., 787 F.2d 1252, 1258 (8th Cir.1986). We must assume as proven all facts that the appellee's evidence tended to show, give it the benefit of all reasonable inferences, and assume that all conflicts in evidence were resolved in its favor. Id. at 1258. 42 Section 1 of the Sherman Act prohibits [e]very contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce. 15 U.S.C. § 1. Because defendants typically cannot be relied on to confess that they have entered into an unlawful agreement, conspiracy cases usually must be proved by circumstantial evidence. ES Development, Inc. v. RWM Enterprises, Inc., 939 F.2d 547, 553 (8th Cir.1991) ([I]t is axiomatic that the typical conspiracy is rarely evidenced by explicit agreements, but must almost always be proved by inferences that may be drawn from the behavior of the alleged conspirators.) (internal quotations omitted). Thus, an antitrust plaintiff may prove the existence of a combination or conspiracy by providing either direct or circumstantial evidence sufficient to warrant a ... finding that the conspirators had a unity of purpose or common design and understanding, or a meeting of the minds in an unlawful arrangement. Id. at 554 (internal quotations omitted). 43 Although it may be in the form of circumstantial evidence, a plaintiff must present some evidence that tends `to exclude the possibility that the alleged coconspirators acted independently.' St. Louis Convention & Visitors Comm'n. v. N.F.L., 154 F.3d 851, 861 (8th Cir.1998) (quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co., Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 585, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986)). Conduct that is as consistent with permissible competition as with illegal conspiracy does not, standing alone, support an inference of antitrust conspiracy. Lovett v. General Motors Corp., 998 F.2d 575, 578 (8th Cir.1993) (citing Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 588, 106 S.Ct. 1348). Furthermore, In situations where a trade association, its officers, employees or members are found to have violated the antitrust laws, membership in the association will not automatically involve all members in the violation. There must, instead, be some evidence of actual knowledge of, and participation in, the illegal scheme in order to establish a violation of the antitrust laws by a particular association member. AD/SAT v. Associated Press, 181 F.3d 216, 234 (2nd Cir.1999) (quoting Thomas Vakerics, Antitrust Basics, § 6.13). 44 Defendants argue that the record contains no evidence from which a reasonable jury could find that they conspired to exclude Craftsmen from advertising or attending trade shows. They note that LIMO's President testified that Ford didn't tell us not to participate in shows, they said they won't. According to defendants, this evidence confirms that Ford acted independently. Ford argues that even if LIMO's policies evinced concerted action, Ford never voted on or participated in the making of those policies. Defendants' arguments are unpersuasive. 45 We agree with the district court that the April 30, 1996 LIMO meeting minutes, the May 7, 1996 letter from Ric Cohen to Cabot Smith, and the May 9, 1996 fax from Cabot Smith to his fellow LIMO members provided ample evidence from which a reasonable jury could find that defendants engaged in a conspiracy in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The clear import of these documents is that LIMO members collectively pressured Limousine Digest to exclude non-QVM coachbuilders, like Craftsmen, from advertising in their publications and attending their trade shows. From this evidence, a reasonable jury could infer that LIMO applied similar pressure to the industry's only other national publication at the time, Limousine & Chauffeured Magazine. Although Ford was not a voting member of LIMO, there is sufficient evidence, including Marsha Tortora's testimony, 13 from which a reasonable jury could find that Ford influenced LIMO's agenda. Taken as a whole, the evidence introduced at trial was sufficient to create a jury question as to whether the defendants acted in concert or independently. 46