Chimicles & Tikellis LLP is Plaintiff’s counsel in this class action which alleges that between 2001 and 2005 the largest providers if offshore helicopter services in the Gulf of Mexico conspired to fix prices in rendering those services. The Complaint, which is pending before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, asserts that as a result of Defendants’ anti-competitive behavior consumers of helicopters services in the Gulf were harmed by having to overpay. Defendants have sought dismissal of the action and that motion is currently under consideration by the Court.
Antitrust
In re Fasteners and Zippers Antitrust Litigation
Chimicles & Tikellis LLP filed a class action complaint on behalf of a class of individuals and entities who, from January 1, 1999 to the present (the “Class Period”), purchased fasteners and zippers directly from William Prym GmbH & Co., KG; Prym Consumer USA, Inc.; Prym Fashion, Inc.; YKK Corporation; YKK Corporation of America, Inc.; YKK (U.S.A.), Inc.; YKK Snap Fasteners America, Inc.; Coats plc; Coats North America de Republica Dominicana, Inc.; and/or Scovill Fasteners, Inc. (collectively, “Defendants”). Fasteners and zippers are snaps, hooks and eyes, rivets, eyelets and similar fastening devices (excluding needles) that affix two or more objects together. The Defendants are manufacturers of fasteners and zippers that are primarily used in the garment, apparel and footwear industries. The market for fasteners and zippers is estimated at over $600 million in the United States alone.
According to the complaint filed by Chimicles & Tikellis, the Defendants have engaged in a long-running, worldwide cartel and conspiracy to fix the prices of, and allocate customers and geographic territories for, fasteners and zippers. The complaint claims that the Defendants agreed with each other on coordinated price increases, fixed minimum prices, allocation of customers, sharing of markets and exchanging other commercially important and confidential information.
On September 19, 2007, the European Commission (“EC”) announced the results of a nearly six year long investigation into suspected anticompetitive conduct among the major manufacturers of fasteners and zippers. According to the complaint, the investigation by the EC uncovered a long running, multifaceted international conspiracy by the Defendants to fix prices and allocate customers and markets worldwide in the fasteners and zippers industry. As a result of its investigation, the EC imposed fines totaling approximately $456 million on several of the Defendants. According to the complaint, certain members of the board of management of the Prym Defendants admitted to their participation in the conspiracy.
The complaint alleges that the Defendants violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The antitrust class action seeks treble damages, injunctive relief, and attorney’s fees and costs.
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Ligigation recently transferred the complaint filed by C&T and other related actions to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
In re Aftermarket Filters Antitrust Litigation
Chimicles & Tikellis LLP, along with its co-counsel, filed this price fixing class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut against several leading automobile filter manufacturers, including Champion, Purolator, Honeywell, Wix Filtration Products, Cummins, Baldwin Filters, Bosch, Mann + Hummel, Arvinmeritor, and United Components (collectively, the “Defendants”). The complaint alleges that the Defendants conspired to fix, maintain, stabilize prices, rid bids and allocate customers for oil, air, fuel, and transmission filters in the aftermarket (i.e., the market for replacement filters) in the U.S. between January 1, 1999 and the date of the filing of the complaint (the “Class Period”).
In support of the conspiracy and price fixing allegations, the complaint cites to information provided by a former senior sales executive who was employed by two of the Defendants during the Class Period. According to this confidential informant, the complaint avers that the Defendants conspired at meetings at industry events and elsewhere to coordinate prices, time price increases, and allocate customers. It has recently been reported that the United States Department of Justice has commenced an investigation into allegations that several of the Defendants colluded to fix the prices of aftermarket filters.
A copy of the complaint is attached below.
If you have purchased, directly from any of the Defendants during the Class Period, an aftermarket oil, air, fuel, and/or transmission filter for use in an automobile, please contact the attorneys listed below.
In re Live Concert Antirust
In re Live Concert Antirust, MDL 1745 – This pending class action alleges that Clear Channel and its affiliates monopolized and attempted to monopolize the markets for live concerts and concert tickets by, inter alia, leveraging their position in radio markets to coerce performers to use their concert promotion services.
In re Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation
In re Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation, No. 2:04-cv-05184-GEB-PS (D.N.J.). This case involves allegations of bid rigging and steering against numerous insurance brokers and insurers. The district court has granted final approval to settlements valued at approximately $218 million.
In re Flonase Antitrust Litigation
In re Flonase Antitrust Litig., 2:08-cv-3301 (E.D.Pa.). Chimicles & Tikellis represents indirect purchaser plaintiffs in this antitrust case, which alleges that the manufacturer of Flonase engaged in anticompetitive conduct designed to delay entry of cheaper, generic versions of the drug. The court has denied motions to dismiss and for summary judgment filed by the defendant.
Automotive Wire Harness Systems – Price Fixing Class Action Lawsuit
Chimicles & Tikellis has filed a class action lawsuit in the Eastern District of Michigan against several suppliers of automotive wire harness systems. Automotive wire harness systems are automotive electrical distribution systems and wires contained in virtually all modern cars. The entities named as defendants in the complaint are Delphi Automotive LLP, Furukawa Electric Co., LTD, Lear Corp., Leoni AG, Sumitomo Electric Industries, LTD., S-Y Systems Technologies GMBH, Yazaki Corp., and Yazaki North America, Inc.
The complaint filed by C&T alleges that, over the course of the last decade, the defendants conspired and engaged in other anticompetitive conduct to fix the prices for automotive wire harness systems. According to the complaint, Furukawa recently plead guilty for its role in a criminal price fixing conspiracy in the market for automotive wire harness systems. The complaint states that several of the other defendants have been raided or investigated for their role in the alleged conspiracy. According to the complaint, this alleged conspiracy resulted in consumers paying inflated prices for their cars.
The complaint filed by C&T asserts claims under section 1 of the Sherman Act, and various state antitrust, consumer protection, and unjust enrichment laws. It seeks class action status on behalf of a class of people and entities that indirectly purchased automotive wire harness systems from the defendants, including as a stand-alone replacement product or as a component of a new motor vehicle.
A copy of the complaint filed by C&T can be viewed below.
