U.S. court rules in favor of Align in 2 antitrust suits

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted summary judgments in favor of Invisalign maker Align Technology in two antitrust class action lawsuits.

In 2020, William Simon of City Smiles in Chicago and in 2021, Misty Snow filed lawsuits against the clear aligner maker, challenging its decision to end scan acceptance in the U.S. from a third-party scanner that Align claimed was infringing on its intellectual property.

"The outcome validates our commitment to innovate in digital dentistry and our desire for a robust and competitive clear aligner and scanner market," Julie Coletti, Align executive vice president, chief legal and regulatory officer, said in a company press release dated February 22.

The lawsuits alleged that Align had a monopoly on the aligner market as well as the intraoral scanners that are used to make the removable orthodontics. The plaintiffs accused Align of stifling competition.

"While this decision resolves most of the claims in the two cases, Align continues to vigorously defend itself against other unrelated claims in another antitrust case that has not yet reached the summary judgment phase," Coletti said.