The makers of three-quarters of America’s chocolate—Hershey, Mars and Nestle—got a federal judge in Harrisburg, Pa., to toss 91 cases claiming that the companies fixed prices between 2002 and 2007.
The allegations, brought by dozens of grocery stores and direct purchasers that bought chocolate during that time period, were based largely on a parallel investigation in Canada, which led to a guilty plea by Hershey Canada last year and has charges pending against the Canadian affiliates of Mars and Nestle.
