Pearson Warshaw is co-lead counsel in an antitrust class action on behalf of end-user purchasers of PVC pipe, alleging a coordinated price-fixing scheme. According to the complaint, major PVC pipe manufacturers—also known as “converters”—including, but not limited to, Atkore, Inc., Cantex, Inc. Westlake Corporation, Otter Tail Corporation, and several companies owned by Mitsubishi Corporation and Shin‑Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd., colluded with distributors to inflate prices beyond competitive levels. The lawsuit claims the defendants took advantage of pandemic era supply disruptions and other macroeconomic forces to justify price hikes while secretly using shared data and communications to maintain artificially high prices. Oil Price Information Service, LLC (“OPIS”), a price reporting service, is alleged to have enabled the conspiracy by distributing confidential pricing data that helped competitors align their strategies. Plaintiffs seek damages under federal and state antitrust laws for the resulting overcharges.
On June 18, 2025, Pearson Warshaw was appointed as co-lead class counsel for the end-user class plaintiffs.
The matter is In re PVC Pipe Antitrust Litigation, and is currently pending in the Northern District of Illinois, Case No. 1:24-cv-07639.