Update May 2009: The plaintiffs have settled with Oakwood Healthcare for $7.2 and a agreement not to fix nurses salaries in the future. The deal is currently pending court approval. Oakwood did not admit liability, and the settlement includes a provision that would reduce the amount if the plaintiffs settle for less than 2% of […]
Category Archives: Cartel Activity
DOJ Proposes Settlement with SC Realtors
May 8, 2009 – 1:42 pm
In May 2008, the DOJ sued the Consolidated Multiple Listing Service of Columbia, S.C., alleging that the operators of the service violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by 1) requiring applicants for membership to discuss the nature of their businesses with a committee of incumbent members who had the power to deny membership to […]
Sister Pipeline Companies Can’t Conspire Despite Regulatory Duty to Operate Separately
April 28, 2009 – 1:34 pm
Judge Robert Chambers, Southern District of West Virginia, has held that sister gas pipeline companies are a single entity, incapable of conspiring under Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The plaintiffs alleged that the companies conspired to park gas in the pipeline during periods when prices were low, and that under federal energy regulations, the […]
Settlement of MMA & Acrylic Cartel Litigation
April 27, 2009 – 2:22 pm
In In re: Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) Antitrust Litigation, plaintiffs filed a motion with the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Court seeking approval of four separate settlement agreements totalling $15.1 million to settle a long-running class action against four chemical companies. The suit sought damages and injunctive relief against the defendants for an alleged conspiacy to jack up the prices […]
Claim Buying Firm Launches Follow-on Suit in the Hydrogen Peroxide Cartel Litigation
April 27, 2009 – 2:19 pm
A Brussels-based private group and arm of the Belgian CDC that seeks private damages for cartel victims in Europe – Cartel Damage Claims Hydrogen Peroxide SA (CDC) – has launched a suit in regional court of first instance for Dusseldorf, Germany, against six alleged members of an international hydrogen peroxide cartel that has already been the targetof landmark fines from […]
Liquid Crystal Display Screen Producers Plead Guilty to Price Fixing
April 26, 2009 – 7:52 pm
Update April 2009: An LG executive has agreed to plead guilty, serve a 1 year prison sentence, and pay a $30,000 fine for his role in the LCD cartel. Update March 2009: Hitachi has agreed to pay a $31 million fine and cooperate in the investigation. LG, Sharp, and Chunghwa Picture Tubes all pled guilty […]
Third Circuit Discusses Class Certification
April 23, 2009 – 6:32 pm
Update April 2009: The plaintiffs have proposed settlements with all defendants. Interestingly, one defendant settled for zero dollars with a pledge to help the plaintiff secure settlements against the other defendants. In In re: Hydrogen Peroxide Antitrust Litigation, the Third Circuit remanded a decision certifying the class, instructing the district court to conduct a more […]
Tomato Packer Alleges Vertical Price Fixing by Can Manufacturer
April 23, 2009 – 6:05 pm
In Stanislaus Food Products Co. v. USS-Posco Industries, tomato packer Stanislaus Food Products Co., accused steelmaker USS-Posco Industries (UPI) of engaging in a vertical price fixing scheme with Silgan – a can manufacturer, to restrain the steel and tin trade. The complaint filed in the Northern District of California alleges that 1) Silgan, who is not named in […]
Florida AG Joins Auto Filter Cartel Follow-on Actions
April 23, 2009 – 5:50 pm
In In re: Aftermarket Filters Antitrust Litigation, Florida’s attorney general launched an action alleging violaitons of federal and state antitrust laws, against nine of the biggest manufacturers of automotive filters in the U.S, including Honeywell International, alleging that through numeous secret meetings among its top executives, the defendant companies schemed to maintain inflated prices for oil, air, fuel, […]
EC Opens Investigations of Airline Transatlantic Routes
April 20, 2009 – 2:40 pm
The EC has opened two investigations seeking to determine whether cooperation among airlines on transatlantic routes constitutes restrictive business practices. The first investigation focuses on existing and planned cooperation among four current or prospective members of the Star Alliance – Air Canada, Continental, Lufthansa and United. The second will examine proposed cooperation between three members of the Oneworld alliance – American […]