A U.S. judge has dismissed most of a consumer lawsuit accusing Idexx Laboratories (IDXX.O) of driving up the cost of animal health services. The lawsuit, filed in 2022, was brought by pet owners from 14 states, including New York, California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Illinois, and accused the Maine-based veterinary diagnostic testing manufacturer of abusing its market power. The plaintiffs alleged that Idexx used exclusive and long-term contracts with veterinary practices across the country, which led to inflated prices being passed on to pet owners.

On Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann ruled that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to pursue many of their claims under various state laws. While the judge dismissed the majority of the state-law claims, she allowed some to proceed under the laws of Minnesota, North Carolina, and Missouri. These claims focus on the alleged overpricing of diagnostic testing devices, including heartworm tests, which are used by veterinarians to diagnose illnesses in pets.

The judge’s decision came after a previous ruling in which she dismissed federal antitrust claims. Last year, Neumann found that the plaintiffs were not direct or indirect purchasers of the diagnostic products at issue in the lawsuit, which are known as “point-of-care” testing products. These are devices used by veterinary clinics to obtain fast test results for animal health conditions. As a

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