In this case, plaintiffs allege that defendants entered into a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition by agreeing to fix, maintain, or stabilize prices, rig bids, and allocate the supply of these products, in violation of federal antitrust laws. Plaintiffs further allege that as a result of the conspiracy, they and other direct purchasers were injured by paying more for those products than they would have paid in the absence of the alleged illegal conduct, and they seek recovery of treble damages, together with reimbursement of costs and an award of attorneys’ fees.

The Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation is a multidistrict case that involved dozens of cases against scores of Japanese, European, and American companies accused of price fixing, bid-rigging, and customer and market allocation. It has been described as the largest criminal antitrust investigation in U.S. history, and the civil litigation was equally vast in scope. Kohn Swift was one of the lead counsel for the direct purchasers in over 20 different parts cases. Direct purchasers worked cooperatively with indirect purchasers of parts—car buyers and dealers, and so far over $359 million has been recovered for our clients and the class members. 

Cases of this magnitude require a collective effort, and lawyers from Kohn Swift wrote all or parts of many complaints and briefs filed with the district and appellate court, including oppositions to motions to dismiss and for class certification; took multiple depositions throughout the U.S. and in Japan; worked closely with class and damages experts on their reports; argued numerous motions in the district court, and with co-counsel negotiated multiple settlements. 

The Settlements were reached on behalf of direct purchasers of the following parts: 

• Wire Harnesses
• Instrument Panel Clusters
• Fuel Senders
• Heater Control Panels
• Bearings
• Occupant Safety Systems
• Alternators
• Oxygen and Fuel Ratio Sensors
• Windshield Wipers
• Starters
• Ignition Coils
• Fuel Injection Systems
• Power Window Motors
• Air Conditioning Systems
• Windshield Washer Systems
• Spark Plugs

All cases are pending before Judge Sean F. Cox in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit. details about these settlements and distributions, click here.