Federal Court Rejects Keurig's Bid to End Antitrust Case; After 12 years of Litigation, Rogers Family Coffee Co. and Co-Plaintiffs’ Claims of Keurig’s Monopolization, Tying, and False Advertising Head to Trial
Court finds certain Keurig statements about competing coffee pods "literally false," finds no circumstances that would rebut the inference of Keurig's brewer monopoly power
Court hands Keurig significant blow: Bars Keurig's in pari delicto defense
Court states, "the competitive façade that Keurig constructs is nothing more than a proverbial Potemkin village", according to new court documents
SAN FRANCISCO, October 21, 2026--After 12 years of litigation, the Plaintiff Rogers Family Coffee Co., has finally succeeded in getting its antitrust and false advertising claims against coffee giant Keurig referred for a jury trial. In a 139-page Opinion & Order issued September 18, 2026, and now unsealed, U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick of the Southern District of New York denied Keurig's request to end the case on the central questions of monopoly power, harm to competition, and the exclusionary contracts at the heart of Rogers Family Coffee Co.'s claims and ruled that Plaintiff's case may proceed to trial. The Court also found that plaintiffs may prove Keurig's illegal tying of the sale of their Keurig brewer with their coffee pods. The Court also found that Keurig made false statements that may give rise to damages.
The ruling came in In re: Keurig Green Mountain Single-Serve Coffee Antitrust Litigation, Docket No. 14-MD-2542. Keurig had asked the Court to rule in its favor on every claim without a trial. The Court refused.
Keurig's alleged serious anticompetitive conduct has been ongoing for decades. Industry Goliath, Keurig Dr. Pepper, once described by a senior Peet's executive as "our favorite monopolists," has allegedly engaged in oppressive, anticompetitive business practices according to Rogers Family Coffee Co. Keurig has abused its more than 85% market share to stifle virtually all competition and keep prices artificially high. Following the loss of its patent in 2012 and the rapid growth of independent competitors, Keurig has been protecting its business with monopolistic, abusive business practices to squeeze out independent competitors, pressure distributors and retailers, and rig prices. Economists estimated that Keurig's anticompetitive conduct resulted in approximately $390M in antitrust damages (pre-trebling) plus ~$109M in disgorgement tied to false-advertising claims through mid-2025.
Rogers Family Coffee Co.'s CEO Lisa Smoot commented: "This is a huge win for us. Our family company has been pursuing justice for over a decade. We remain committed to seeing this through to a just decision."