The cost and trauma of antitrust crime tells its own story

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It’s endless. The air cargo cartel case rumbles on and on. Last week, eight airlines won final court approval for a settlement in a class action lawsuit brought about by shippers, over the fuel surcharge price-fixing. The total won by shippers, against 17 airlines, is now $485 million, with the case against another 11 airlines continuing.

There are a few interesting financial points about this case. For the shippers’ lawsuit, 73 law firms have spent 199,510 hours litigating. And for this ...