jul 18, 2013 - An antitrust-violating price-fixing cartel among nine corporations including LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba was found to be rigging battery prices and restricting output between 2000 and 2011

Description:

The Defendant companies include the following LG Chem, Ltd.; LG Chem America, Inc.; Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.; Samsung SDI America, Inc.; Panasonic Corporation; Panasonic Corporation of North America; SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.; SANYO North America Corporation; Sony Corporation; Sony Energy Devices Corporation; Sony Electronics, Inc.; Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.; Maxell Corporation of America; NEC Corporation; TOKIN Corporation, formerly known as NEC TOKIN Corporation; and Toshiba Corporation.

The lawsuit alleges that Defendants and co-conspirators conspired to raise and fix the prices of Li-Ion Cells for over ten years, resulting in overcharges to direct purchasers of Li-Ion Cells, Li-Ion Batteries, and Li-Ion Products. The complaint describes how the Defendants and co-conspirators allegedly violated the U.S. antitrust laws by agreeing to fix prices and restrict output of Li-Ion Cells by, among other things, face-to-face meetings and other communications, customer allocation, and the use of trade associations. Defendants deny Plaintiffs’ allegations. The Court has not decided who is right.

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