Alleged Price Fixing on Jeld Wen Doors Spurs Class Action Lawsuit

Consumers have recently alleged that Jeld Wen doors are part of a price fixing conspiracy that affects direct purchasers that sell the doors at retail. This means that Jeld Wen doors are being sold to companies at an artificially higher price, then are sold to customers at an even higher price to cover the direct purchaser’s losses.

The price fixing allegations surrounding Jeld Wen doors have already spurred a class action lawsuit, which is being led by Sawbill Companies Inc. The company alleges it purchased Jeld Wen doors at an unreasonably higher price from the manufacturer. The doors were then sold at retail for an inflated price, the plaintiff claims.

Plaintiffs Andrew K. and Benjamin P. are consumers that also purchased these doors, and opted to take legal action after finding about the alleged price fixing.

According to the class action lawsuit, the companies Masonite and Jeld Wen have “significant power” in the interior molded door market and had set up the price fixing scheme to maximize profits.

Overview of Jeld Wen Doors

Jeld Wen and Masonite are the largest two manufacturers of interior molded doors in North America. They have an 85 percent share of the interior molded door market.

Interior molded doors are made by putting together a wood frame and a hollow or solid core that is made of composite wood. These doors are also made with two doorskins, which are composed of a high density fibrous material that is shaped into a raised panel design. These doorskins are wrapped around the composite wood of the doors.

These interior molded doors are designed to resemble solid wood doors, but are sold at a lower cost. Jeld Wen and Masonite are the only manufacturers of doorskins in all of North America, giving them an unusual amount of control over the market for these doors.

However, it has been alleged the Jeld Wen and Masonite executives correlated an arrangement in which their interior molded doors were sold at artificially inflated prices. According to plaintiffs, the alleged price fixing scheme has been going on since 2012.

In addition, the class action lawsuit alleges Jeld Wen and Masonite had taken over several smaller interior molded door manufacturers between 2001 and 2012, which eliminated the majority of their competition.

Furthermore, Jeld Wen and Masonite allegedly collaborated to stop supplying doorskins to smaller door manufacturing companies. The plaintiffs say this ultimately resulted in a successful price fixing scheme for the companies, which allowed them to sell Masonite and Jeld Wen doors at artificially inflated prices due to having no competition in the market space.

Sawbill and the other claimants involved in this class action lawsuit are seeking all financial damages allegedly caused by the price fixing scheme. Consumers who purchased Masonite or Jeld Wen doors from October 2012 to present may also have paid a higher price than they should have.

This Jeld Wen Doors Class Action Lawsuit is Sawbill Companies Inc., et al. v. Jeld-Wen Inc. and Masonite Corp., Case No. 3:18-cv-00850, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Virginia, Richmond Division.

Join a Free Interior Molded Doors Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you own or work for a company that sold Jeld-Wen and/or Masonite interior molded doors from October 2012 to the present or if you purchased the doors from a retailer, you may have been the victim of an antitrust price-fixing conspiracy. Legal help is available.

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