Walmart, Home Depot can’t appeal class-action settlement

TORONTO ― The Ontario Court of Appeal has rejected a bid by Walmart Canada and The Home Depot Canada to appeal the terms of the settlement in a class action against Visa and Mastercard. The original case turned on allegations of price-fixing between Visa, Mastercard and 10 issuing banks. The Superior Court of Justice last year approved a settlement, over the two retailers’ objections, in which both credit card companies agreed to pay just shy of $10 million without admitting liability. This week,  a five-judge panel of the province’s top court noted that neither Walmart nor Home Depot was a representative in the case and that case law does not allow individual members of a class to appeal settlements.