US: LCD price-fixing suit reaches SCOTUS in state vs federal spat

The US Supreme Court is preparing to hear a lawsuit against manufacturers of liquid crystal display screens over allegations of price-fixing in a case launched by the Mississippi Attorney General.

AG Jim Hood filed the case alleging the companies’ price-fixing violated the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act. He is seeking damages, civil penalties and restitutions.

Companies were found to have fixed LCD prices between 1996 and 2006 within Japan, Korea, Taiwan and by the companies’ counterparts within the US. Millions of dollars have been paid in settlements throughout the globe, though companies still face further litigation.

AG Hood said he was “pleased” the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, and in a statement said that the accused corporations “abused federal jurisdiction by using the Class Action Fairness Act to remove consumer actions from state court to federal court.”

When AG Hood first brought the case in county court, the defendants appealed the case to federal court.

With the appeal of the case reaching the Supreme Court, SCOTUS is expected to rule who, exactly, is the plaintiff in this case, Hood or those he sued LCD makers on behalf of, say reports.

Full Content: San Diego Source

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