The Hancock County School District filed a class-action lawsuit in October accusing major sports equipment manufacturers, including Riddell Sports and Varsity Brands, and other retailers of violating antitrust laws through an illegal bid-rigging and price-fixing scheme.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Gulfport, accuses the companies of working with other retailers, including BSN Sports, Hibbett Inc., Sports Center and Rex Team Sports, to form what attorneys described as a “cartel” that inflated the costs of athletic equipment and related services sold to K-12 schools in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Mississippi law requires school districts to seek bids for equipment and services when costs are between $5,000 and $75,000…