ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Independent travel plaza operators filed a class-action lawsuit against payment processor Comdata Corp. and its parent Ceridian Corp. this week, according to the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO), citing an attorney representing the plaintiffs.
Two travel plazas, Bear Mountain Travel Plaza and Gap Truck Stop, filed the complaints on behalf of all independent operators, alleging that Comdata violated federal antitrust law. Those two complaints are expected to be consolidated in federal court in the Eastern District [image-nocss] of Pennsylvania.
In 1999 and 2000, Comdata began charging small- and medium-sized travel plazas a percentage of the transaction rather than a flat fee per transaction. The complaint alleges that Comdata engages in "discriminatory pricing" and "exclusionary practices preventing truck stops from using lower-cost and more efficient means of payment." The complaint seeks unspecified monetary damages as well as "injunctive relief" to stop "anticompetitive conduct."
Plaintiffs are represented by Eric Cramer of the Philadelphia law firm of Berger & Montague P.C. and Joseph Saveri of the San Francisco law firm of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein LLP.
To read the full text of the complaint, click here.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.