Labaton Sucharow LLP filed one of the first class action complaints in the country on behalf of a proposed class of Plaintiffs who purchased refrigerant compressors directly from Defendants, certain manufacturers of these products.

Plaintiffs allege that, between January 1, 1996 and February 27, 2009, Defendants participated in a global conspiracy to fix the prices of refrigerant compressors (cooling part devices that generate cold air) for both household and commercial use, sold in the United States and around the world. The case is pending before the Honorable Sean F. Cox in the Eastern District of Michigan.

The Department of Justice is investigating this conspiracy as part of a global probe of possible price-fixing and other anticompetitive practices in the industry. One Defendant has applied for amnesty under the DOJ’s Corporate Leniency Program and is expected to provide significant cooperation to Plaintiffs’ in the civil litigation.