In re California Bail Bond Antitrust Litigation

I. BACKGROUND

22 A. Factual Background 23 This is a putative antitrust class action brought by Plaintiffs against 20 bail bond surety 24 companies (including the Moving Defendants) and William B. Carmichael, the President and CEO

26 1 The court filed a redacted version of this order on March 11, 2025 to allow Moving Defendants an opportunity to appeal the order to the Honorable Jon S. Tigar. [Docket No. 533.] Judge Tigar 27 denied Moving Defendants’ motion for relief from the order on April 11, 2025. [Docket No. 555.] of ASC, asserting a decades-long conspiracy to fix prices for bail bonds. [Docket No. 513 (Class Cert. Mot.) at 2-3.] The factual background is set out in the Honorable Jon S. Tigar’s order denying Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the Third Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint (TCAC) and is briefly summarized here. [Docket No. 330 at 1-2.] Many criminal arrestees in California may post money bail for their release, and as long as they appear for scheduled court dates, the money will be returned to them in full. Id. Arrestees who cannot afford to pay bail often purchase a bail bond sold by agents and underwritten by…