Joseph Saveri Law Firm Files First Capacitors Price-Fixing Cartel Case

Following months of investigation, the Joseph Saveri Law Firm has filed the first capacitors price-fixing case in federal court in San Francisco.

Plaintiff Chip-Tech, Ltd., on its own behalf and on behalf of a class of other capacitor purchasers like themselves, filed suit against the leading global capacitor manufacturers for per se illegal price fixing. The named defendants include Panasonic, Sanyo, Taiyo Yuden, NEC Tokin, KEMET, Nippon Chemi-Con, Hitachi Chemical, Nichicon, AVX, Rubycon, Elna, Toshin Kogyo, Vishay, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO), and ROHM. Chip-Tech seeks treble damages for itself and the class based on any direct purchases of aluminum and electrolytic capacitors from these manufacturers from at least January 1, 2005 to present.

The Defendant capacitor manufacturers have conspired for nearly a decade to end price competition among themselves for their aluminum and tantalum electrolytic capacitor products. Faced with declining demand for these capacitors, the Defendant manufacturers agreed to collusively establish noncompetitive prices for their products and concertedly set production lead times to restrict the amount of their mutually interchangeable capacitor products available in both the global and U.S. markets. This illegal price fixing has drawn the attention of law enforcement and competition authorities around the globe, and at least one manufacturer (believed to be Panasonic) has sought amnesty from prosecution by U.S. and Chinese authorities in exchange for its admission of illegal price fixing.

If you or your company purchased aluminum or tantalum electrolytic capacitors directly from any of the manufacturers named above at any time between January 1, 2005 to present, please contact the Joseph Saveri Law Firm through this web site or at (415) 500-6800.