Freed Kanner London & Millen LLC; Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C.; Spector Roseman & Kodroff, P.C.; and Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau & Pachios, LLP (“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 DENSO Defendants totaling $700,000, and the proposed distribution of the proceeds of the settlements.
The lawsuits claims that DENSO conspired to suppress and eliminate competition for Heater Control Panels, Instrument Panel Clusters, and Wire Harness Products by agreeing to raise, fix, maintain, and/or stabilize prices, rig bids, and/or allocate markets and customers for those automotive parts purchased directly from DENSO and other manufacturers in the United States, in violation of federal antitrust laws.
The settlement affects those individuals or entities who purchased Heater Control Panels, Instrument Panel Clusters, and Wire Harness Products in the United States from January 1, 1998 through March 23, 2017 directly from certain manufacturers. The precise qualifying dates of purchase and the manufacturers from whom purchases need to have been made are set out in the Notice sent to potential class members, which can be found on the website dedicated to this litigation: www.AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com.
A hearing will be held on February 17, 2022, 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 DENSO Defendants and (2) the proposed plans of distribution of the settlement funds to members of the settlement classes.
A Notice of Proposed Settlement (the “Notice”) was mailed to potential Settlement Class members on or about November 18, 2021. The Notice describes in more detail the litigation and options available to Settlement Class members with respect to the settlements. The Notice and other important documents related to the settlement can be accessed at www.AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com, or by calling 1-877-845-2749 or writing to DPP-DENSO Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, P.O. Box 5110, Portland, OR 97208-5110. Those who believe they may be a member of the Settlement Classes, are urged to obtain a copy of the Notice.