Purchasers of Standalone Storage Devices or Computers, not for resale, between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2016, which included hard disk drive suspension assemblies may be affected by a class action lawsuit

SAN FRANCISCO, May 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A class action antitrust lawsuit was filed on behalf of Reseller Plaintiffs and End-User Plaintiffs against Defendants TDK Corporation, Hutchinson Technology Inc., Magnecomp Precision Technology Public Co., Ltd., Magnecomp Corporation, and SAE Magnetics (H.K.) Ltd. (together, "TDK Defendants"), and NHK Spring Co., Ltd., NHK International, NAT Peripheral (Dong Guan) Co., Ltd., NAT Peripheral (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., and NHK Spring (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (together, "NHK Defendants"). The lawsuit alleges Defendants conspired to fix prices of suspension assemblies ("SAs"), a component contained in hard disk drives ("HDD"). Suspension assemblies are a necessary component of hard disk drives and are found in products such as standalone storage devices (for example, bare, portable or external hard drives), laptop and desktop computers, and enterprise servers and storage arrays. The End-User Plaintiffs allege they purchased such "finished products" containing SAs and that prices were higher as a result of the supracompetitive SA prices initially charged by Defendants to hard disk drive manufacturers, who "passed on" those price increases to the End-User Plaintiffs.

The Court "certified" an End-User Class defined as: all persons and entities who, during the time period January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2016, in the Indirect Purchaser States, purchased Standalone Storage Devices or Computers, not for resale, which included SAs manufactured or sold by Defendants. The Indirect Purchaser States include: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and District of Columbia.

The Court has not decided who is right or wrong. There is no money available now, and no guarantee there will be. However, members of the End-User Class described above, will have their legal rights affected and have a choice to make now.

Class Members who want to keep the possibility of getting money or benefits from this lawsuit in the future do not need to do anything now. By doing nothing, they are staying in the End-User Class and if the End-User Plaintiffs obtain money or benefits in the future, they will be notified about how to get their share. Class Members who do nothing now will not be able to sue or continue to sue Defendants—as part of any other lawsuit—about the same legal claims in this lawsuit. Class Members will also be legally bound by the orders and judgments. If they do nothing now and there is a settlement or judgment in the future, they may not be allowed to exclude themselves from the lawsuit.

Class Members who want to sue Defendants on their own regarding the same legal claims in this lawsuit or already have their own lawsuit against Defendants regarding the same legal claims in this lawsuit and want to continue with it, need to ask to be excluded from the End-User Class. Class Members who exclude or remove themselves from the End-User Class— sometimes called "opting-out" of the class— they will not get any money or benefits from this lawsuit even if End-User Plaintiffs win at trial or there is a settlement. However, those who opt-out may be able to sue or continue to sue Defendants on their own. Class Members who exclude themselves will not be legally bound by the Court's judgments in this class action lawsuit. The deadline to opt-out is August 23, 2026.

Class Counsel will have to prove End-User Plaintiffs' legal claims at a trial. The trial has not been scheduled. During the trial, a Jury and the Judge will hear all of the evidence to help them reach a decision about whether End-User Plaintiffs or Defendants are right about the legal claims in the lawsuit. There is no guarantee that End-User Plaintiffs will win, or that they will get any money for the End-User Class.

This Notice summarizes the lawsuit and the proceedings. To get additional information visit www.HDDSuspensionEndUser.com or call 1-877-366-0874.

URL: www.HDDSuspensionEndUser.com

SOURCE The United States District Court for the Northern District of California