Freight Forwarding Class Action Settlement

Settlements have been reached in a class action lawsuit alleging freight forwarding companies around the world illegally conspired to fix the prices for their services. If you purchased freight forwarding services, you could be eligible for benefits from a class action settlement.

Under the terms of the class action settlement, the term “freight forwarding services” is defined as freight forwarding, transportation, or logistics services for shipments, and includes services relating to the organization or transportation of items via air and ocean, which may include ancillary rail and truck services, both nationally and internationally, as well as related activities such as customs clearance, warehousing, and ground services.

According to the freight forwarding class action lawsuit, the defendants agreed to fix various charges and surcharges associated with providing freight forwarding services. The routes affected allegedly include those between the United States and China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

The settling defendants deny they did anything wrong, but have agreed to settle the class action lawsuit to avoid the cost and risk of trial. The court has already approved 10 settlements, under which the settling defendants agreed to pay a minimum of $105 million. A second round of settlements, totaling more than $197 million, has been presented to the court for approval. The money from both rounds of settlements will be put into a settlement fund that will be distributed to Class Members.

Who’s Eligible

You are a Class Member of one or more freight forwarding settlements if you directly purchased freight forwarding services from any of the defendants, their subsidiaries or affiliates in the United States (or outside the United States but for shipments within, to, or from the United States) between Jan. 1, 2001 and Sept. 14, 2012.

A list of the defendants is available at www.FreightForwardCase.com.

Potential Award

Varies. The money in the settlement fund will be distributed to Class Members on a pro rata basis as set forth in the Plan of Allocation. The Plan of Allocation can be found in the Important Documents section of the settlement website.

Proof of Purchase

N/A. Although the Claim Form does not specify the type of documentation required for filing a claim, Class Members should keep all documents they believe may help the Claims Administrator determine the amount owed.

If Class Members cannot submit detailed information, they can submit an explanation of why they are unable to submit documentation and provide an estimated amount, under penalty of perjury.

Claim Form

CLICK HERE TO FILE A CLAIM »

Claim Form Deadline

1st Round: 8/24/2015

2nd Round: 3/31/2016

If you have already submitted a claim (postmarked no later than Aug. 24, 2015) for the First Round Settlements, you do not need to file a claim for the Second Round Settlements. However, if you did not file a claim for the First Round Settlements, you may file a claim for the Second Round Settlements, postmarked no later than March 31, 2016.

3rd Round: 4/3/2017

Claimants who filed qualifying claims as part of the First or Second round settlements will not need to file another claim to obtain distribution as part of the Third Round settlements.

Case Name

Precision Associates Inc. v. Panalpina World Transport, Case No. 08-cv-00042, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Final Hearing

11/2/2015

UPDATE: A federal judge gave final approval to the freight forwarding price-fixing class action settlements on Nov. 10, 2015.

UPDATE 2: On November 9, 2016, the court granted final approval to the Third Round of the Freight Forwarding settlement.  The claim deadline is April 3, 2017.  Let Top Class Actions know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our  Facebook page.

UPDATE 3: On July 28, 2017, class counsel submitted a motion to distribute Round 1 and Round 2 settlement funds.  Top Class Actions will let our viewers know when the motion is approved by the court.

UPDATE 4: On August 17, 2017, class counsel submitted a notice of withdrawal of the motion to distribute settlement funds.  The notice states that some claims may have contained inaccurate information and were being re-reviewed.  The court approved the notice on August 21, 2017.  Top Class Actions will let our viewers know when the revised motion to distribute is filed with the court.

UPDATE 5: On February 13, 2018 a status report was filed with the court stating that final determination letters will be mailed by the end of March 2018.  Top Class Actions will let our viewers know as soon as a check distribution ETA is available!

UPDATE 6: On April 5, 2019, the motion to distribute funds was granted by the court.  It is not known how quickly checks will be mailed. Let Top Class Actions know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

UPDATE 7: On May 1, 2019, an appeal to the Order on Motion for Disbursement of Funds was filed. Claims will not be fully paid until all appeals are resolved. The settlement website states that partial payments will go out at the end of May 2019.  We appreciate your ongoing patience. Top Class Actions will continue to provide updates as we learn more. 

UPDATE 8: On May 28, 2019, Top Class Actions viewers started receiving checks in the mail worth as much as $7,495.70 from the freight forwarding class action settlement. Congratulations to everyone who filed a claim and got PAID!

Settlement Website

www.FreightForwardCase.com

Claims Administrator

Freight Forwarders Settlement
c/o Freight Forwarders Claims Administrator
P.O. Box 3747
Portland, OR 97208-3747
(877) 276-7340
questions@freightforwardcase.com

Class Counsel

LOVELL STEWART HALEBIAN JACOBSON LLP
LOCKRIDGE GRINDAL NAUEN PLLP
COTCHETT PITRE & MCCARTHY LLP
GUSTAFSON GLUECK PLLC

Defense Counsel

FULBRIGHT & JAWORSKI LLP
VINSON & ELKINS LLP
CLEARY GOTTLIEB STEEN & HAMILTON
FRANKFURT KURNIT KLEIN & SELZ PC
CARROLL MCNULTY & KULL LLC
HAUSFELD LLP
QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART & SULLIVAN LLP
SKADDEN ARPS SLATE MEAGHER & FLOM LLP
SPECTOR RUBIN PA
KAPLAN MASSAMILLO & ANDREWS LLC
GIBSON DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP
LEVUN GOODMAN & COHEN LLP
HILL RIVKINS & HAYDEN LLP
BAKER & HOSTETLER LLP
SQUIRE SANDERS & DEMPSEY LLP
MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP
KOBRE & KIM LLP
WHITE & CASE LLP
HOGAN LOVELLS LLP
PROSKAUER ROSE LLP
BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP
BINGHAM MCCUTCHEN LLP
WILMER CUTLER PICKERING HALE & DORR LLP
DAVIS POLK & WARDWELL
SIMPSON THATCHER & BARTLETT LLP
MOUND COTTON WOLLAN & GREENGRASS