Mastercard, Visa Dealt Setback in U.K. Retailer Fees Suit

A British appeals court ruled in favor of retailers including J Sainsbury Plc in a blow to credit card firms that could now face billions of pounds in damages. The fees fixed by Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. restrict competition and are unlawful, Judge Terence Etherton said today in London. The ruling, which also involved Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Asda and Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, resolved wildly different decisions by judges in the lower courts.