Priceless

Priceless

The Case that Brought Down the Visa/MasterCard Bank Cartel

Lloyd Constantine

Sample

Buy for US $7.99

Find sponsored access on the HotSpot Map

Description

Lloyd Constantine began his career in legal services, representing impoverished clients in civil rights and constitutional cases. Decades later, he would make headlines for representing retailers and consumers against a cartel that undermined one of the fundamental tenets of commerce in America: competition. A man who thrives on competition himself, Constantine now gives us the insider's story on the biggest antitrust lawsuit in history—a case that pitted his small firm against financial-industry giants Visa and MasterCard, along with Clifford-Chance, the largest law firm in the world.

Combining the real-life legal drama of A Civil Action with the relentless pace of a John Grisham novel, Constantine delivers the definitive account of a case that made history and will be studied for years to come. Beginning in the 1980s, when Visa and MasterCard—whose combined market share topped 95 percent—announced the merger of their debit card networks, Priceless traces the fallout of this catastrophic union, from raised eyebrows among attorney generals to the launch of a major class-action lawsuit. For the five merchants initially represented by Constantine's firm (Wal-Mart, Sears, Circuit City, Safeway, and The Limited), the reality of the situation was clear: millions of U.S. businesses were being illegally coerced in a scheme that forced excessive fees on merchants every time a customer used a debit card. When a $3.4 billion settlement was reached in 2003, the court estimated that the case would save stores and shoppers up to $87 billion in the first decade alone.

A suspense-filled story with a vibrant cast of characters—and a smoking-gun document known as "The Shark"—Priceless travels from corporate backrooms to the courtroom to capture one of America's biggest triumphs in the high-stakes world of antitrust litigation.

Genres

Financial ServicesIndustriesBusiness & EconomicsGovernment & BusinessWhite Collar CrimeTrue CrimeBusinessBiography & Autobiography

Pages288

Released2012

LanguageEnglish

PublisherSkyhorse

ISBN9781620875490

SellerSimon & Schuster

Reviews

Praise for Shannon Mayer and the Rylee Adamson series

“Steamy, action-packed, and full of heart. If you’re a fan of Ilona Andrews, you’ll love Rylee Adamson.”
—New York Times bestselling author Deanna Chase

“Mayer’s books rank right up there with Kim Harrison’s, Patricia Briggs’s, and Ilona Andrews’s. Get ready for a whole new take on urban fantasy and paranormal romance and be ready to be glued to the pages!”
—Just My Opinion Book Blog

“Rylee is the perfect combination of loyal, intelligent, compassionate and kick-ass. Many times, the heroines in urban fantasy novels tend to be so tough or snarky that they come off as unlikable. Rylee is a smart-ass for sure, but she isn't insulting. Well, I guess the she gets a little sassy with the bad guys, but then it's just hilarious.”
—Diary of a Bibliophile

“I could not put it down. Not only that, but I immediately started the next book in the series, Immune.”
—Just Talking Books

“Priceless was one of those reads that just starts off running and doesn’t give too much time to breathe. . . . I’ll just go ahead and add the rest of the books to my TBR list now.”
—Vampire Book Club

“This book is so great and it blindsided me. I’m always looking for something to tide me over until the next Ilona Andrews or Patricia Briggs book comes out, but no matter how many recommendations I get nothing ever measures up. This was as close as I’ve gotten and I’m so freakin happy!”
—Dynamite Review

“Highly recommended for all fans of urban fantasy and paranormal.”
—Chimera Reviews

“I absolutely love these books; they are one of the few Paranormal/urban fantasy series that I still follow religiously. . . . Shannon’s writing is wonderful and her characters worm their way into your heart. I cannot recommend these books enough.”
—Maryse Book Review

“It has the perfect blend of humor, mystery, and a slow-burning forbidden-type romance. Recommended x 1000.”
—Sarah Morse Adams

“These books are, ultimately, fun, exciting, romantic, and satisfying. . . .Trust me on this. You are going to love this series.”
—Read Love Share Blog

“This was a wonderful debut in the Rylee Adamson series, and a creative twist on a genre that’s packed full of hard-as-nails heroines. . . . I will definitely stay-tuned to see what Rylee and her new partner get up to.”
—Red Welly Boots

“Priceless did not disappoint with its colourful secondary characters, unique slant on the typical P.I. spiel, and a heroine with boatloads of untapped gifts.”
—Rabid Reads