WASHINGTON (Reuters) - West Virginia"s attorney general filed suit against Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O in state court on Monday, alleging the company"s business tactics violated state antitrust and consumer protection laws.
State Attorney General Darrell McGraw filed the suit on behalf of West Virginia consumers and state agencies, asking the court to impose unspecified damages and sanctions against the company, an attorney representing the state said.
West Virginia is one of nine states who have refused to join the Justice Department in settling a federal case against Microsoft. The state lawsuit filed on Monday would position the state to opt its 1.8 million residents out of a separate but related class action settlement with the company, according to one source familiar with the case.
The West Virginia lawsuit is based largely on the findings of U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who ruled last year that Microsoft had abused its monopoly in the market for personal computer operating systems.