If you purchased an auto filter by any of the following retailers you might be a class member of the Aftermarket Filters Antitrust Litigation. The list of retailers are as follows: Advance Auto Parts Inc., Ashland, Inc., Autozone, Inc., Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC d/b/a Firestone Complete Auto, General Parts, Inc., Genuine Parts Company, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company d/b/a Goodyear Gemini Automotive Care, Jiffy Lube International, Inc., Midas, Inc., O’Reilly Automotive, Inc., Pennzoil-Quaker State Company, The Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack, Sears, Roebuck & Co., Texaco, Inc., and Wal-Mart Stores. In order to be considered a class member you must have purchased the filter between the dates of January 1, 1999 and March 8, 2012. The purchase also must have took place in one of the following states: AZ, AR, CA, DC, FL, HI, IL, IA, KS, ME, MI, MN, MS, MA, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, PR, RI, SD, TN, UT, VT, WV, WI, and WY. This lawsuit is in the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is case number No. 1:08-cv-4883, MDL No. 1957. The lawsuit claims that the Defendants illegally fixed, raised, maintained, and/or stabilized prices and allocate customers for Filters in order to gain a greater profit of sale.
If you are a class member and would like to object or exclude yourself to the settlement please do so by 09/03/12. A cash settlement is not available under the current settlement terms. If you feel like a cash settlement should be available it is recommended you object to the settlement. A settlement fairness hearing will be held on 10/4/2012 at 10am to determine if the settlement is fair and reasonable (which it is not). The hearing will be held at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Courtroom 1703. The defendants claim a settlement payment is not option due to the size of the lawsuit. One of the key witnesses in the case was recently sentenced to 24 months in prison due to making false statements to the government.
