A federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio returned two indictments charging Japanese automotive parts companies, their U.S. subsidiaries, and a total of five executives for their alleged participation in international conspiracies to eliminate competition in the sale of automotive parts sold in the United States and elsewhere, […]
OEM Auto Parts Supplier to Pay $66.5 Million for Fixing Parts Prices
The ongoing price fixing investigations being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation netted its latest guilty pleas. Corning International Kabushiki Kaisha (Corning International K.K.) has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $66.5 million criminal fine for conspiring to fix prices, rig bids and allocate the […]
Former Auto Parts Company President Pleads Guilty to Bid-Rigging
The former president of an automotive parts company pleaded guilty yesterday and was sentenced to serve 18 months in a U.S. prison for his role in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for the sale of automotive body sealing products sold in the United States, the Justice Department announced. Keiji Kyomoto, a former […]
Collision Repairers File 2nd Amended Complaint in Antitrust Suit against Auto Insurers
As expected, collision repairers have filed another amended complaint seeking to address concerns that led Judge to dismiss the case for a second time last month. Collision repair facility operators in Florida have filed a second amended complaint in their suit brought against more than 30 insurance companies. As CollisionWeek reported January 23, U.S. District […]
Antitrust Suits against Auto Insurers Suffer Setback
U.S. District Judge finds problems with the complaint brought by collision repair facilities alleging antitrust violations. Allows plaintiffs until February 10 to amend complaint on six of seven counts. 1963 Consent Decree found not to apply to current case. In an amended order issued yesterday, U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has dismissed without prejudice […]
SCRS Asks U.S. Attorney General to Investigate Antitrust Violations
The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced that it is joining the efforts of a number of collision repair organizations across the country in its request to the Department of Justice, and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, to investigate violations of federal antitrust laws by automobile insurance companies. “Stemming from the circulation of a […]
CT Association Petitions US Attorney General to Stop Antitrust Violations
The Auto Body Association of Connecticut is launching a national petition to the United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. requesting that his office investigate violations of federal antitrust laws by insurance companies serving the private passenger automobile industry. According to William Romaniello, III, Connecticut shop owner and legislative director for the Auto Body […]