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J.C. Penney Wins Jewelry Sale Suit: A judge in Raleigh, N.C., ruled that department store retailer J.C. Penney did not deceive consumers by marking up jewelry prices just before advertising steep discounts. The state attorney general’s office had complained that Penney inflated its regular jewelry prices with markups as high as five times cost, then advertised discounts up to 60% off the regular price to sell the jewelry at a typical industry markup. Judge Donald Stephens ruled that Penney did not violate any state laws. Penney is the nation’s third-largest jewelry retailer. Its witnesses said it was unfairly singled out for a marketing practice common in the jewelry industry, and that its regular prices were as good as those of its competitors.