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Antitrust Litigation

Antitrust Litigation

Experienced Counsel In Class Action Antitrust Litigation

The antitrust practice at CERA LLP focuses on the claims of businesses and individuals harmed by anticompetitive conduct and unfair trade practices. Our lawyers have successfully litigated cases alleging price fixing, market allocation, unfair competition, and other anticompetitive conduct in a wide range of industries. We have prosecuted some of the most complex antitrust lawsuits against the world's largest corporations, including those with multi-national operations and billions of dollars in global revenues.

The Firm is presently counsel to plaintiffs in several antitrust class action lawsuits including:

  • Vehicle Carrier Services Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
  • Capacitors Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
  • Cast Iron Soil Pipe and Fittings Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
  • Egg Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • Air Cargo Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • Municipal Derivatives Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • Pre-Filled Propane Tank Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kansas
  • Comex Gold Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • Sodium Hypochlorite Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
  • Bearings Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • Foreign Exchange Antitrust Litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • Korean Noodles Antitrust Litigation pending in the United District Court for the Northern District of California
 

Examples of the Firm's Successes in Antitrust Litigation

Titanium Dioxide Antitrust Litigation

As Co-lead Counsel, the Firm led a team of twelve firms and recovered $163.5 million in settlements for the plaintiffs from defendants E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, Huntsman International LLC, Kronos Worldwide, Inc., and Cristal Global (f/k/a Millennium Inorganic Chemicals, Inc.). The lawsuit, filed in February 2010 in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland by our client, Haley Paint Company, alleged price fixing in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act in the market for titanium dioxide, a white pigment used primarily in the production of paints, coatings, plastics, and paper products. Settlement with the last defendant occurred on the last business day before trial was set to begin in September 2013. This litigation exposed what we believe to have been significant wrongdoing without the benefit of any U.S. regulatory investigation or proceeding.

Rubber Chemicals Antitrust Litigation

On behalf of direct purchasers of three types of chemicals used to make various rubber products (including tires and automotive parts), the Firm initiated a Sherman Act lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleging price fixing in the United States and elsewhere by defendants Akzo-Flexsys, Bayer, and Crompton. Although the defendants faced significant criminal antitrust penalties from the U.S. Department of Justice, and one defendant cooperated early on in the litigation with the plaintiffs, it took years of hard-fought litigation and certification of the class before the case was resolved. Discovery efforts, led by CERA LLP, revealed the inner workings of a global cartel, and the depositions of several executives were conducted in federal prison. The settlements eventually achieved for the benefit of the direct purchasers of rubber chemicals through the efforts of co-lead counsel CERA LLP and its colleagues totaled $320 million.

Methionine Antitrust Litigation

A client of the Firm initiated this complex antitrust litigation on behalf of direct purchasers of the animal feed additive methionine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Methionine was allegedly price fixed by several multi-national defendants, including Degussa and Rhone Poulenc, in the United States and elsewhere. The Firm was appointed as co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs by United States District Judge Charles Breyer, along with several other firms. The class was certified by Judge Breyer and, shortly thereafter, the plaintiffs achieved a mediated settlement with the defendants for $107 million.

Other antitrust cases in which our attorneys have played a leading role and/or represented named plaintiffs:
  • Blood Plasma Antitrust Litigation
    ($128 million recovered) (Chicago, Illinois)
  • EPDM Antitrust Litigation
    ($99 million recovered) (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
  • Polyester Staple Antitrust Litigation
    ($63.5 million recovered) (Charlotte, North Carolina)
  • CR Antitrust Litigation
    ($62 million recovered) (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
  • Plastic Additives Antitrust Litigation
    ($46.8 million recovered) (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • High Pressure Laminates Antitrust Litigation
    ($40.5 million recovered) (New York, N.Y.)
  • Organic Peroxide Antitrust Litigation
    $37 million recovered) (Washington, D.C.)
  • NBR Antitrust Litigation
    ($35 million recovered) (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
  • Carbon Black Antitrust Litigation
    ($20 million recovered) (Boston, Massachusetts)
  • MCAA Antitrust Litigation
    ($15.6 million recovered) (Washington, D.C.)

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