Settlements Reached with Starters Manufacturers in Price Fixing Class Action Lawsuit

DETROIT, Aug. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Freed Kanner London & Millen LLC; Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C.; Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau & Pachios, LLP; and Spector Roseman & Kodroff, P.C. ("Co-Lead 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 a proposed class action settlement with Robert Bosch GmbH and Robert Bosch LLC (together, "Bosch" or "Bosch Defendants"), in the amount of $1,300,000, and the proposed distribution of the proceeds of that settlement and prior settlements with the Mitsubishi Electric, HIAMS, DENSO, and Mitsuba Defendants (the proceeds of these five settlement funds are referred to collectively to as the "Starters Settlement Fund"). The lawsuit claims that Defendants conspired to suppress and eliminate competition for Starters by agreeing to raise, fix, maintain, and stabilize prices, rig bids, and allocate the supply of Starters sold in the United States, in violation of federal antitrust laws.

The settlement affects those who purchased Starters in the United States from January 1, 2000 through March 12, 2018, directly from any of the following entities (or depending on the specific settlement agreements, their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, or joint ventures): Robert Bosch GmbH; Robert Bosch LLC; Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.; Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc.; Hitachi, Ltd.; DENSO Corporation; DENSO International America, Inc.; Mitsuba Corporation; American Mitsuba Corporation; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; and Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Inc.

A hearing will be held on November 5, 2020, 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), for the purpose of determining whether to approve: (1) the proposed settlement with the Bosch Defendants; (2) Settlement Class Counsel's request for an award of attorneys' fees and litigation costs and expenses from the Bosch settlement proceeds; (3) the proposed plan of distribution of the Starters Settlement Fund; and (4) an incentive payment to the Class Representative.

A Notice of Proposed Settlements (the "Notice") was mailed to potential Settlement Class members on or about August 14, 2020. The Notice describes in more detail the litigation and options available to Bosch Settlement Class Members with respect to the Bosch settlement. The Notice also explains the options available to members of the Mitsubishi Electric, HIAMS, DENSO and Mitsuba Settlement Classes. The Notice and other important documents related to the settlements can be accessed at www.AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com/Starters, or by calling 1-877-670-0867 or writing to Starters Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, P.O. Box 3076, Portland, OR 97208-3076.  Those who believe they may be a member of the Mitsubishi Electric, HIAMS, DENSO, Mitsuba, or Bosch Settlement Classes, are urged to obtain a copy of the Notice.

URL: www.AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com/Starters

SOURCE United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division

Related Links

http://www.AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com/Starters