Beginning in 2012, class action lawsuits were filed against Defendants by Plaintiffs, who are direct purchasers of Bearings. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants entered into a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition for Bearings by agreeing to raise, fix, maintain, or stabilize prices, rig bids, and allocate markets and customers for Bearings in violation of federal antitrust laws. Plaintiffs further allege that as a result of the conspiracy, they and other direct purchasers of Bearings were injured by paying more for those products than they would have paid in the absence of the alleged illegal conduct, and they seek recovery of treble damages, together with reimbursement of costs and an award of attorneys’ fees.
