Bleach Manufacturers Settle Antitrust Class Action Lawsuit

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Three bleach manufacturers have agreed to pay $2.2 million in order to settle a putative class action lawsuit that alleges the companies worked together to artificially raise, fix, and maintain the price of bulk bleach in North Carolina and South Carolina.

The bleach class action lawsuit filed by Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority, of South Carolina, claims that Oltrin Solutions LLC, Trinity Manufacturing Inc., and JCI Jones Chemicals Inc. violated the Sherman Act by entering into an agreement to monopolize the bleach market.

According to the bleach antitrust class action lawsuit, “The Agreement provided that JCI would no longer produce or sell bulk bleach in North Carolina or South Carolina for six years and required JCI to give Oltrin a list of its customers in those states.”

By removing JCI from the bleach market, Oltrin would be able to raise the price of bleach without the threat of a competitor offering a lower price, the class action lawsuit states. 

Grand Strand filed the bleach class action lawsuit in July 2014 after the Federal Trade Commission investigated the companies regarding possible antitrust behavior. According to the FTC complaint, Oltrin and Trinity agreed to pay JCI $5.5 million if JCI would agree not to sell bleach in North or South Carolina for six years

The defendants allege they have good arguments to the asserted claims but have agreed to the antitrust class action lawsuit settlement in order to avoid the expense of further litigation.

If approved, the bleach antitrust class action settlement will be open to all Class Members who purchased Bulk Bleach in North Carolina or South Carolina from Oltrin Solutions, Trinity Manufacturing and JCI Jones Chemicals (or any of their affiliates) between March 2010 and March 2013. According to the Settlement Agreement, the putative Class consists of 42 Class Members who will be eligible for benefits from the bleach antitrust class action settlement.

More information about the bleach class action settlement was not immediately available. Keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates. You can also mark this article as a “Favorite” using your free Top Class Actions account to receive notifications when this article is updated.

Grand Strand is represented by Henrietta U. Golding of McNair Law Firm PA, Solomon B. Cera and Pamela A. Markert of Cera LLP, Brent W. Johnson, Emmy L. Levens and Hiba Hafiz of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, and Daniel E. Gustafson and Daniel C. Hedlund of Gustafson Gluek PLLC.

The Bleach Antitrust Class Action Lawsuit Settlement is Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority, et al. v. Oltrin Solutions LLC, et al., Case No. 4:14-cv-02800, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.