Unsealed Emails: Amazon Told Vendors to Raise Prices on Walmart, Chewy, and Target, California Says
California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a largely unredacted preliminary-injunction filing on April 20 revealing internal Amazon emails that directed Levi's, Hanes, and GlobalOne to raise prices on rival retailers including Walmart, Chewy, and Target. The filing is part of the state's 2022 antitrust case; trial is set for January 2027.
On April 20, California Attorney General Rob Bonta made public a largely unredacted version of the state's February preliminary-injunction filing in People of the State of California v. Amazon.com, Inc. The filing includes internal Amazon emails in which company staff directed vendors to raise the prices of their own products on competing retailers — and, in one case, documented the competitor complying within hours.
Three Amazon quotes anchor the filing:
"I'm making efforts to push the market back to a retail that will give [Amazon] solid headroom."
"I am very determined to help you hunt the disrupters in the market."
"If the problematic retail does not fix by the end of the week, we will discontinue [these products] from your problematic competition to ensure that Amazon can return to a healthy state with these items."
The "problematic retail" and "disrupters" in the emails are named competitors — Walmart, Target, Chewy, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Wayfair.
The named vendor-retailer pairs
| Vendor | Pressured to raise prices on | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Levi Strauss & Co. | Walmart | Khaki pants ($25.47–$29.99) |
| GlobalOne | Chewy | Canine Naturals pet treats |
| Hanes | Multiple rival retailers | Apparel |
| Allergan | Multiple rival retailers | Eyedrops ($13.59–$16.99) |
| Agrothrive | Multiple rival retailers | Plant fertilizer |
| Songmic | Multiple rival retailers | Trash can |
In the Canine Naturals example, the filing describes an Amazon email instructing GlobalOne to "let Chewy know to update [pricing] immediately." GlobalOne confirmed compliance within hours, and prices rose on more than ten Canine Naturals products across both Amazon and Chewy.
The playbook
According to the filing, Amazon's coordination with vendors followed a consistent pattern:
- Demand: Amazon instructed vendors to "fix," "correct," "increase," or "raise" prices on competitors' websites when those prices undercut Amazon's listings
- Penalty: Vendors that refused faced suspended advertising or promotional placements, demands for financial compensation to cover Amazon's lost margin, or product suppression from Amazon's store
- Coordination: Amazon used vendors as intermediaries, instructing them to "reach out" to Walmart, Chewy, and other retailers and coordinate simultaneous price increases across platforms
- Removal: The filing cites internal "Removal Lists" — products Amazon flagged for pulled distribution from rival retailers that refused to raise prices
What Bonta is asking for
The preliminary injunction would bar Amazon from communicating with vendors about competitors' pricing while the case proceeds and would install a court-appointed monitor over Amazon's vendor-pricing practices. A hearing on the injunction is scheduled for July 23. Trial is set for January 2027.
Amazon's response
In a statement to CNBC, Amazon called the unsealing "a transparent attempt to distract from the weakness of its case" and said the "supposedly 'new'" evidence does not change the company's position. "Amazon is consistently identified as America's lowest-priced online retailer, and we're proud of the low prices customers find when shopping in our store," the statement said. "Amazon looks forward to responding in court at the appropriate time."
Case history
California filed the case in September 2022 (Case CGC-22-601826, San Francisco Superior Court), alleging that Amazon's vendor pricing practices violate the state's Cartwright Act and unfair-competition laws. Earlier in 2026, a state judge denied Amazon's motion for summary judgment, allowing the case to proceed to trial.