Fisher v. City of Berkeley

In 1980, the City of Berkeley, California (defendant) enacted a rent-control ordinance capping rents citywide, requiring landlords to petition a rent-stabilization board before raising rents above the ceiling, with penalties and tenant lawsuits for noncompliance. A group of property owners (plaintiffs) sued to invalidate the ordinance under § 1 of the Sherman Act, arguing it amounted to unlawful price-fixing; the Supreme Court of California ruled for the city, and the property owners appealed.