Compensation coming in OE parts price fixing scheme

If you have customers who bought or leased a new vehicle between the late 1990s and the middle of the last decade, they could claim compensation through a series of class action lawsuits that will see pay outs following an alleged automotive parts price-fixing scheme.

Court approval was given for $78 million from 23 class actions, said a joint statement from a number of law firms across the country.

The class actions are part of 45 brought forward in Canada alleging unlawful conspiracies to fix auto parts prices for installation in new vehicles. Twelve automakers, plus subsidiaries, were named but the settled defendants did not admit to any wrongdoing or liability. The automakers are not alleged to have done any wrongdoing — the class actions were brought against parts manufacturers that allegedly price-fixed products.

The announcement from Siskinds in London and Toronto, Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman (CFM) in Vancouver and Siskinds Desmeules in Quebec City noted criminal investigations around the world, adding that the auto parts cases are the largest antitrust investigations in history when looking at the number of affected parts, implicated parties and imposed fines.

“Price-fixing conspiracies are prohibited by the Competition Act. They are harmful to the Canadian marketplace, causing businesses and consumers to pay too much for goods and services,” said David Jones, a partner at CFM in Vancouver.  “The settlements seek to redress that harm.”

Courts in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec approved the settlements and fund distribution protocols.

Those who bought or leased new vehicles from the following manufacturers between July 1, 1998, and September 30, 2016, are eligible to receive compensation:

• Aston Martin
• BMW/ Mini Cooper
• Chrysler/ Dodge/ Fiat/ Jeep/ Ram
• Ford/ Lincoln/ Mercury
• General Motors (Buick/ Cadillac/ Chevrolet/ Daewoo/ GMC/ Hummer/ Isuzu/ Oldsmobile/ Pontiac/ Saab/ Saturn)
• Honda/ Acura
• Jaguar/ Land Rover
• Mazda
• Nissan/ Infiniti
• Subaru
• Toyota/ Lexus
• Volkswagen/ Audi/ Porsche, and Volvo

“The auto parts class actions are a large undertaking and we are proud to have recovered a significant amount of money for Canadian consumers and businesses,” said Karim Diallo, counsel at Siskinds Desmeules

Applications for settlement benefits can be filed online at www.autopartsettlement.ca  on or before October 30, 2023.

“We encourage Canadian businesses and consumers who purchased the affected vehicles to apply for settlement benefits,” said Linda Visser, Siskinds partner in London. “We designed a claims process that is straightforward and easy to use – particularly for consumers.”