Background
From at least January 1, 1996 through December 31, 2006, Plaintiffs allege that defendants operated a cartel, the purpose of which was to raise, fix, and stabilize the prices of Thin-Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Displays (TFT-LCDs or flat panels).
TFT-LCD’s are used for the manufacturing of monitors for:
• PCs and laptops (i.e., monitors)
• Televisions
• Mobile devices (mobile phones, digital cameras, handheld devices, mp3 players, etc.)
Filing Deadline
April 5, 2012 (Direct Purchaser Class Only)
Defendants:
AU Optronics, Chi Mei Corporation, Chunghwa, Epson, HannStar, NEC (Co-Conspirator), Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Hydis (Co-Conspirator), LG Electronics, Mitsubishi (Co-Conspirator), Mitsui (Co-Conspirator), Philips, Sanyo (Co-Conspirator), Hitachi, Panasonic (Co-Conspirator), IPS Alpha Technology (Co-Conspirator)Direct Purchaser Class
All persons and entities who, between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2006, directly purchased a TFT-LCD panel from any defendant or any subsidiary thereof, or any named affiliate
or any named co-conspirator. Specifically excluded from the Class are defendants; the officers,
directors, or employees of any defendant; the parent companies and subsidiaries of any
defendant; the legal representatives and heirs or assigns of any defendant; and the named
affiliates and co-conspirators. Also excluded are any federal, state or local governmental entities,
any judicial officer presiding over this action and the members of his/her immediate family and
judicial staff, and any juror assigned to this action.
All persons and entities who, between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2006, directly
purchased a television, computer monitor, or notebook computer containing a TFT-LCD panel,
from any defendant or any subsidiary thereof, or any named affiliate or any named coconspirator.
Specifically excluded from the Class are defendants; the officers, directors, or
employees of any defendant; the parent companies and subsidiaries of any defendant; the legal
representatives and heirs or assigns of any defendant; and the named affiliates and coconspirators.
Also excluded are any federal, state or local governmental entities, any judicial
officer presiding over this action and the members of his/her immediate family and judicial staff,
and any juror assigned to this action.
Indirect Purchaser Class
All persons and entities in Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico,
New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin who, from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2006, as
residents of their respective states, purchased LCD panels incorporated in televisions, monitors,
and/or laptop computers in their respective states indirectly from one or more of the named
Defendants or Quanta Display Inc., for their own use and not for resale. Specifically excluded
from the Class are defendants; the officers, directors, or employees of any defendant; the parent
companies and subsidiaries of any defendant; the legal representatives and heirs or assigns of
any defendant; and the named affiliates and co-conspirators. Also excluded are any federal, state
or local governmental entities, any judicial officer presiding over this action and the members of
his/her immediate family and judicial staff, and any juror assigned to this action.
Direct Class Settlement Amount
Partial settlements exceeding $400mm have been reached with the following defendants;
Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd. has agreed to pay $10mm; Epson has agreed to pay $7mm; Chi
Mei Corp. will pay $78mm; HannStar Display Corp. will pay $14.9mm; Hitachi, Ltd. will pay
$28mm; LG Display Co. will pay $75mm; Mitsui & Co. will pay $950k; Samsung will pay
$82,672,242.00; Sanyo Consumer Electronics will pay $3.5mm and Sharp Corp. will pay
$105mm.
Indirect Class Settlement Amount
Partial settlements totaling fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000.00) have been reached between the indirect purchaser class and defendants Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd., and Epson