A Mississippi federal court will hear Mississippi's lawsuit that alleges price fixing by manufacturers of liquid crystal display screens.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling that sent the case to a state court.
"Nothing we have said denies the State of Mississippi the right to proceed with this case. It will simply proceed in federal, not state, court," the panel said.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood sued several major suppliers of LCD screens in Hinds County Chancery Court in March of 2011. Hood alleged in the lawsuit that consumers paid extra because of price fixing in violation of the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act.
The lawsuit seeks damages, restitution and civil penalties for actions from 1996 to 2006 by companies in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, plus their U.S. counterparts.
The companies have paid out millions to settle class-action lawsuits and still face other lawsuits in the United States and around the world.
