Case Details

Year Initiated/Committed

2010

Year Resolved

2012

Settlement Amount

$538.5 million, $14.7 million civil penalties

Court

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Lead State

FL

Participating States

FL

Defendant(s)

AU Optronics Corporation; AU Optronics Corporation America, Inc.; Chi Mei Corporation; Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corporation; Chi Mei Optoelectronics USA, Inc.; CMO Japan Co., Ltd.; Hitachi Displays, Ltd.; Hitachi, Ltd.; Hitachi Electronic Devices (USA), Inc.; LG Display Co., Ltd.; LG Display America, Inc.; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.;
Samsung Electronics America, Inc.; Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.;
Sharp Corporation; Sharp Electronics Corporation; Toshiba Corporation; Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd.; Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.; Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.

Case Description

Plaintiff state filed suit against the world’s largest manufacturers of thin-film transistor
liquid crystal display panels, or “TFT-LCD panels,” alleging the companies conspired
to fix the prices of their products. The civil lawsuit, filed in federal district court in California, alleges that the defendants conspired to prevent competition and to increase prices for TFT-LCD panels, the most common form of LCD panels used in popular electronic devices such as desktop monitors, laptop screens, and flat panel televisions.
The state alleges that the defendants organized the conspiracy at the highest level of their organizations in various secret meetings and telephone conversations over a period of years. The United States Department of Justice has indicted a number of the defendants and their employees in the same federal court, resulting in more than $890 million in criminal fines. The lawsuit also alleges fraudulent concealment of the conspiracy. claims the companies violated the Florida Antitrust Act, the Sherman Act, and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and seeks injunctive relief, treble damages, restitution and/or disgorgement, civil penalties and costs.
Case consolidated in multidistrict litigation in the Northern District of New York. See Missouri v. AU Optronics.