In re Aftermarket Automotive Lighting Products Antitrust Litigation
Status: Ongoing Case
In March 2009, Labaton Sucharow was appointed co-lead counsel in this lawsuit filed on behalf of a proposed class of plaintiffs who purchased aftermarket automotive lighting products directly from defendants, three Taiwanese manufacturers, one Hong Kong company, and their United States subsidiary distributors.
Plaintiffs allege that defendants unlawfully conspired to fix the prices of and allocate the market for aftermarket automotive lights between July 29, 2001 and February 10, 2009. The action is pending before the Honorable George H. Wu in the Central District of California.
Subsequent to the filing of this case, the United States Department of Justice commenced a criminal grand jury investigation, which is proceeding in the Northern District of California. Since February 8, 2011, two executives of U.S. distributors of Taiwanese aftermarket automotive lights have agreed to plead guilty to charges of price-fixing and a third executive was recently indicted.
On November 8, 2011, the Court granted preliminary approval of a $25 million partial settlement with defendants Depo Auto Parts Industrial Co. Ltd. and Maxzone Vehicle Lighting Corp. The Court certified the class on July 28, 2011 and discovery is continuing.