Forged Steel Price-Fixing Class Action Lawsuit - Canada

What is this lawsuit about?

Slater Vecchio LLP has filed class-action lawsuit in British Columbia on behalf of individuals who purchased or leased automobiles or who purchased automobile parts whose prices were inflated due to anti-competitive conduct by the Defendants between October 2002 and December 2016. The lawsuit alleges that Musashi Bockenau, Bharat Forge and Hirschvogel Umformtechnik entered into a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition in the forged steel industry.

Through this alleged conspiracy, the Defendants agreed to manipulate the price of forged steel products, suppress and eliminate competition in manufacturing, marketing, sale, and distribution of the forged steel products, and to conceal their activities.

These forged steel products were purchased by automobile manufacturers at an inflated cost. These increased costs were passed onto consumers who purchased automobiles at more expensive prices than they would have had the Defendants not colluded to increase the price of forged steel.

The affected automobiles include :

• Audi : A4, A6, A7, Q3, Q5, Q7, Q8
• Mercedez-Benz : S-Class, E-Class
• Porsche: Cayman, Macan

What is a class action?

A class action is a legal case through which one person makes a claim to the Court on behalf of a similarly situated class of people who have the same or a similar legal claim. A class action seeks to hold a defendant or defendants responsible for their conduct that affects each member of the class by resolving issues that are common to the class in the same legal proceeding, instead of each class member bringing a claim individually.

The individual who first files the claim must ask the Court for permission to proceed as a class action. If permission is granted (referred as “authorized” in Quebec, and “certified” in all other Canadian provinces) and the case may proceed as a class action, the Court will appoint an individual as “Representative Plaintiff” to represent the best interests of the class during the litigation and will define the class group. Each person who meets the criteria of the class group is considered a “Class Member”.

Who does this class action represent?

These class actions are brought on behalf of individuals who purchased or leased an automobile, or who purchased automobile parts, containing the forged steel products manufactured, marketed, distributed or sold by the Defendants between approximately October 2002 and December 2016.

What should proposed class members do now?

Class Members should locate and keep documents proving ownership or leasehold of the automobiles or automobile parts described above.