New Zealand Commerce Commission Litigation

Compass Lexecon was retained by the New Zealand Commerce Commission in its litigation against Visa, MasterCard and their New Zealand member banks, concerning the competitive effects of interchange fees and network rules including restrictions on merchants’ ability to levy surcharges on credit card transactions. Professor Dennis Carlton, Dr. Gustavo Bamberger and Dr. Alan Frankel submitted expert reports on behalf of the Commerce Commission. All defendants settled prior to trial, agreeing to permit merchant surcharges in New Zealand and to other relief. Compass Lexecon also worked with David Goddard, QC of Thorndon Chambers.