In Re: Aftermarket Automotive Lighting Products Antitrust Litigation
In 2009, Plaintiffs filed a Complaint on behalf of a proposed class of purchasers of aftermarket automotive lighting products citing allegations of price-fixing behavior.
Counsel for the Plaintiffs retained Dr. Russell Lamb to analyze whether all proposed class members were injured as a result of the alleged misconduct. He was also asked to analyze if it is possible to measure class-wide damages suffered by the proposed class as a result of the alleged misconduct without resorting to individual inquiry and, if so, the amount of these damages.
Dr. Lamb filed four Expert Reports and one Expert Declaration concerning class certification and damages issues in which he concluded that all class members would have been injured as a result of the alleged misconduct and demonstrated that damages could be measured on a class-wide basis. He reaffirmed these conclusions while testifying twice at deposition and once at the class certification hearing concerning these issues.
In its decision to certify the class in this matter, the Court specifically cited Dr. Lamb’s analysis of class-wide issues, stating that his analysis provided “a sufficient basis from which to conclude that Plaintiffs would adduce common proof concerning the effect of Defendants’ alleged price-fixing conspiracy on prices class members paid.”
On May 14, 2014, the Court granted final approval to settlements reached between the class and the Defendants worth over $50 million.