Settlements Reached with Air Conditioning Systems Manufacturers in Price Fixing Class Action Lawsuit

DETROIT, Aug. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Freed Kanner London & Millen LLC; Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C.; Spector Roseman & Kodroff, P.C.; and Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau & Pachios, LLP ("Co-Lead Settlement Class Counsel") announce that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division ("Court") has approved the following announcement of proposed class action settlements with the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ("MHI") and Sanden Defendants totaling $7,850,000, and the proposed distribution of the proceeds of those settlements and prior settlements with the Calsonic, DENSO, MAHLE Behr, Panasonic, and VALEO Defendants (the proceeds of these seven settlement funds are  referred to collectively to as the "Air Conditioning Systems Settlement Fund").

The lawsuit claims that Defendants conspired to suppress and eliminate competition for Air Conditioning Systems by agreeing to raise, fix, maintain, and stabilize prices, rig bids, and allocate markets and customers for Air Conditioning Systems sold in the United States, in violation of federal antitrust laws.

The settlements affect those who purchased Air Conditioning Systems in the United States from January 1, 2001 through February 14, 2017 directly from any of the following entities (or depending on the specific settlement agreements, their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, or joint ventures): Calsonic Kansei Corp.; CalsonicKansei North America, Inc.; DENSO Corporation; DENSO International America, Inc.; MAHLE Behr GmbH & Co. KG; MAHLE Behr USA Inc.; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc.; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Climate Control, Inc.; Panasonic Corp.; Panasonic Corporation of North America; Sanden Corp.; Sanden International (U.S.A.), Inc.; Sanden Automotive Climate Systems Corp.; Sanden Automotive Components Corp.; VALEO Japan Co., Ltd.; VALEO, Inc.; VALEO Electrical Systems, Inc.; and VALEO Climate Control Corp.

A hearing will be held on November 5, 2020, at 2:00 p.m., before the Honorable Sean F. Cox, United States District Judge, at the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse, 231 West Lafayette Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226, Courtroom 817 (or such other courtroom as may be assigned for the hearing, or if the Court believes that it is appropriate, remotely by telephone or other electronic means), for the purpose of determining whether to approve: (1) the proposed settlements with the MHI and Sanden Defendants; (2) Settlement Class Counsel's request for an award from the MHI and Sanden settlement proceeds of attorneys' fees and litigation costs and expenses; (3) the proposed plan of distribution of the Air Conditioning Systems Settlement Fund; and (4) an incentive payment to the Class Representative.

A Notice of Proposed Settlements (the "Notice") was mailed to potential Settlement Class members on or about August 14, 2020. The Notice describes in more detail the litigation and options available to MHI and Sanden Settlement Class Members with respect to the MHI and Sanden settlements. The Notice also explains the options available to members of the Calsonic, DENSO, MAHLE Behr, Panasonic, and VALEO Settlement Classes, for which the Court has already granted final approval. The Notice and other important documents related to the settlements can be accessed at www.AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com/AC, or by calling 1-888-737-9549 or writing to Air Conditioning Systems Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, P.O. Box 2530, Portland, OR 97208-2530.  Those who believe they may be a member of any of the Calsonic, DENSO, MAHLE Behr, MHI, Panasonic, Sanden, or VALEO Settlement Classes, are urged to obtain a copy of the Notice.

URL: www.AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com/AC 

SOURCE United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division