Final Disposition in Air Cargo price fixing case – $1.25 billion in total settlements

Plaintiffs brought suit in 2006 after the US Department of Justice and the European Commission initiated investigations into the air cargo industry. The alleged conspirators took part in meetings and other communications to determine and set air cargo rates that airlines should charge for various routes. The airlines then imposed the agreed upon rates and continued to maintain and enforce those rates for over six years.

This suit included over 30 airline companies. Infotech Consulting and Dr. McClave was hired in April 2010 to calculate damages to Plaintiffs due to the illegal price-fixing scheme. Infotech Consulting analyzed more than 30 million transactions in the formalization of Dr. McClave damage analysis report and testimony for the class certification hearing in October, 2013. In July 2015, class certification was granted for a class of tens of thousands of direct purchasers of air cargo shipping services. By the beginning of 2016 all but two Defendants had settled with the Plaintiffs. In the spring of 2016, the remaining two Defendants settled, bringing the total settlement value to over $1.25 billion.

In re: Air Cargo Shipping Services Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1775 (E.D. of New York)

Over 1 Billion Transactions Analyzed in CRT Price-Fixing Case

Over 1 Billion Transactions Analyzed in CRT Price-Fixing Case

Not many of us still own a cathode ray tube (CRT) television, but many of us remember the big and bulky sources of entertainment from yesteryear. Makers of cathode ray tubes were accused of fixing the price of various sizes of cathode ray tubes during a time where these televisions and monitors were feeling the market pressure from flat panel televisions and monitors. Infotech Consulting was engaged to perform damage analyses for 13 plaintiffs that opted out of the class action. The data spanned 18 years and involved analyzing defendant transaction data consisting of over 1 billion transactions with over $80 billion in revenue. Through the eight-year litigation period, settlements on behalf of class members and opt outs totaled over $800 million. Infotech Consulting’s thorough analysis of the data and expert synthesis of the material aided numerous plaintiffs in reaching advantageous settlements with over 10 defendants.

In re: Cathode Ray Tube Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 07-5944 SC and Case. No. 14-cv-02510  (US District Court for N.D. of California)

Salt Bid-Rigging Case Settles on Eve of Trial

The sizeable bid-rigging case against two of the leading road salt producers in the U.S. settled for a reported $11.5 million on the eve of trial. The settlement resolves the case brought by the State of Ohio in 2012 on behalf of Ohio purchasers of rock salt, used to maintain roadways. Dr. McClave, with the support of the Infotech Consulting team, provided expert analysis concerning the rigging of salt bids by Morton Salt and Cargill Inc., prepared several reports in support of econometric analyses and was scheduled to testify concerning the damages suffered by Plaintiffs as a result of the bid-rigging.

State of Ohio, ex rel Mike Dewine, Attorney General of Ohio v. Cargill Inc., Cargill Deicing Technology, Morton Salt Inc., and Morton International, LLC., No. 2012 CV-03-0268

Info Tech Inc. To Host Kids For ‘take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day’

GAINESVILLE, FL – April 21, 2015 Info Tech, Inc., a Gainesville-based consulting and software development company, is celebrating national Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on Thursday, April 23 by hosting employees’ children ages 7-15. Approximately 10 children are expected to participate at Info Tech as part of this national event.

“This is a great program for both employees with children and those without,” Dr. James T. McClave, Info Tech President, said “Employees with children get to have their kids see what they do at work each day. Those without children get a chance to mentor the next generation of workers.”

The children will participate in group activities and can spend additional time job shadowing their parents. They will learn about Info Tech and its products, services and they will tour the offices. They will also do a career building exercise as they envision their own future professions. For a service project, the children will sort food donations that Info Tech has been collecting for the Food4Kids backpack program.

Info Tech has hosted a program for children on this special day several times since 2003 with different themes and activities aimed at educating and exciting kids about the workplace.

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is a national program. Per the program’s web site, “it is more than just a chance to job shadow mom or dad. Exposing girls and boys to what a parent or mentor in their lives does during the work day is important, but showing them the value of their education, helping them discover the power and possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life, providing them an opportunity to share how they envision the future and begin steps toward their end goals in a hands-on and interactive environment is key to their achieving success.” More information about the program is available at www.daughtersandsonstowork.org.

Team Infotech assists in verdict in Polyurethane antitrust litigation – approximately $1 billion recovered by plaintiffs

Plaintiffs brought suit in 2008 against urethane chemical makers accusing the manufacturers of conspiring to fix prices of polyether polyol products that are used in, among other applications, urethane foam. Infotech  Consulting was hired to calculate damages to Plaintiffs due to the illegal price-fixing scheme. Four Defendants in the class action case settled before trial. However, Dow Chemical took the case to trial. Dr. McClave presented his analysis of damages arising from the price-fixing actions of the Defendants to a federal jury in Kansas City, Kansas in February, 2013. The case went to the jury and the jury reached a $400 million verdict against Dow Chemical. The $400 million verdict was trebled and U.S. District Judge, John Lungstum, entered a judgement against Dow Chemical in the amount of $1.06 billion. Dow Chemical appealed the judgment, but the appeal was denied. Dow then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court but settled with Plaintiffs for $835 million before the petition was heard. In total, the class Plaintiffs recovered nearly one billion in damages.

In re: Urethane Antitrust Litigation, No. 04-MD-1616-JWL (Kansas)