CARFAX Lawsuit Attracts Antitrust Pioneer Berger & Montague - Joins Bellavia Blatt As Co-Counsel

MINEOLA, N.Y., Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Bellavia Blatt Andron & Crossett, P.C.  today announced an alliance with Berger & Montague, P. C., in prosecuting the lawsuit Maxon Hyundai Mazda et-al. vs. Carfax, Inc., alleging violations of U.S. antitrust laws. Berger & Montague previously served as co-counsel against Visa and MasterCard, obtaining the landmark settlement of $7.25 billion, the largest ever settlement of a private antitrust case.

Currently, there are approximately 500 dealer plaintiffs in the CARFAX lawsuit, a number that is expected to increase as the suit progresses.

The lawsuit alleges that CARFAX impairs competition through its exclusive and illegal alliances with Autotrader.com, and Cars.com, as well as with the majority of the automobile manufacturers' certified pre-owned programs.  The case further alleges that, as a result, automobile dealers are forced to conduct business with CARFAX at grossly inflated prices only to have CARFAX spend these inflated revenues on ads that disparage dealers as dishonest and untrustworthy. 

"Having Berger & Montague, one of the premier antitrust law firms in the country join this lawsuit confirms the validity of our antitrust allegations against CARFAX," said Bellavia Blatt Senior Partner Leonard Bellavia.  "We are pleased that a firm with this level of expertise in antitrust litigation will help to right the wrongs we allege that CARFAX has committed against automobile dealers and consumers nationwide."

"Bellavia Blatt has long been a proponent of the rights of automobile dealers and this lawsuit on their behalf demonstrates that commitment," said Eric L. Cramer, a managing shareholder at Berger & Montague.  "Our firm looks forward to working with Bellavia Blatt on behalf of hundreds of dealers in promoting free and fair competition and to achieving a successful outcome for our clients."

About Bellavia Blatt:  Bellavia Blatt is recognized as one of the preeminent automobile dealership representation firms in the country.  For more than 25 years the firm has advocated for dealer rights, including serving as co-lead counsel in the Chrysler Bankruptcy proceedings, lead counsel in the mass action lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury on behalf of 148 rejected dealers and lead counsel in the Saab Bankruptcy for 162 Saab dealers. 

About Berger & Montague:  Berger & Montague, a pioneer in antitrust class actions, has routinely been appointed by federal courts to serve in leadership roles in some of the largest and most significant antitrust class actions of the past 30 years in courts across the country, including cases alleging price fixing and monopoly abuse, such as Bogosian v. Gulf Oil Corp., Corrugated Container Antitrust Litigation, Currency Conversion Fee Antitrust Litigation, and Infant Formula Antitrust Litigation. Most recently, the Firm has served as co-lead counsel in the merchants' case against Visa and MasterCard, which has produced the largest antitrust class action settlement in history.  Berger & Montague has also played a principal role in obtaining over $1 billion in settlements from drug companies alleged to have impeded the entry of generics and artificially inflated drug prices.  

SOURCE Bellavia Blatt