US judge dismisses antitrust suit against Law School Admission Council News
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US judge dismisses antitrust suit against Law School Admission Council

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a proposed class action accusing the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) of conspiring with law schools to fix application fees and monopolize the admissions process, but gave the plaintiff until May 12 to file an amended complaint.

US District Judge John Murphy of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania threw out all three counts without prejudice, finding plaintiff Linvel Risner’s market allegations “implausible” and his complaint “unclear and self-contradictory.” Murphy acknowledged Risner “alleges concerted action, and he has antitrust standing,” but said “the rest presents an uphill battle.”

Risner filed suit in August 2025, alleging LSAC and its 197 ABA-approved member law schools conspired to fix application prices in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The complaint alleged LSAC charges applicants a minimum of $260, comprising a $215 subscription fee for its Credential Assembly Service and an additional $45 per school applied to, regardless of each school’s own requirements. LSAC, a nonprofit that also administers the LSAT, collected $93 million in fees over three years, according to the complaint. Risner alleged the nonprofit paid grants of up to $100,000 to member schools as “kickbacks” to maintain their loyalty.

The court found Risner had plausibly alleged concerted action: LSAC is governed by trustees elected by its member law schools, which receive its application platform at no charge. All three counts were nonetheless dismissed because Risner failed to adequately define either of his two proposed antitrust markets under the rule of reason. Murphy also found the monopolization claim fell short because the platform serves both applicants and law schools simultaneously, and the complaint only alleged harm on the applicant-facing side.

In its motion to dismiss, LSAC argued the challenged conduct amounted to lawful, unilateral price-setting rather than a conspiracy, and that centralizing the application process creates procompetitive efficiencies for both schools and applicants.

Murphy wrote that “the time to cure those deficiencies is in an amended complaint, not in briefing.” Should Risner file by May 12, the case would remain before Murphy in Philadelphia.

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