Case Details

Year Initiated/Committed

2017

Settlement Amount

n/a

Court

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

Docket Number

2:17-cv-00384

Lead State

FL

Participating States

FL

Defendant(s)

General Chemical Corporation; General Chemical Performance Products, LLC; General Chemical LLC; Gentek Inc.; Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund; Chemtrade Chemicals Corporation; Chemtrade Chemicals US, LLC; Chemtrade Solutions; LLC; Geo Specialty Chemicals. Inc.; C&S Chemicals; Inc.; C&S Chemicals of Georgia

Case Description

Plaintiff state filed action in federal court alleging market allocation and price-fixing among manufacturers of the chemical liquid aluminum sulfate, which is a coagulant used to remove impurities and other substances from water. It is used primarily by municipalities in wastewater treatment. There are high barriers to entry and substitution is difficult. There have been several USDOJ indictments in the industry. The complaint alleged that the defendants conspired to circumvent competitive bidding and independent pricing and to raise liquid aluminum sulfate prices by submitting artificially inflated bids in Florida from 1997 through at least February 2012. The state alleged that fraudulent concealment of the conspiracy tolled the statute of limitations.