Minebea small bearings direct purchasers antitrust $9.75M class action settlement

Minebea agreed to a $9.75 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit claiming it worked with other automotive parts manufacturers to raise the price of small bearings, affecting direct purchasers. 

The settlement benefits consumers and entities who purchased small bearings directly from Minebea Mitsumi Inc., NMB USA Inc., NMB Technologies Corp., NSK Ltd., NSK Americas Inc. and/or NSK Corp. between June 1, 2003, and Feb. 15, 2017.

Small bearings are bearings with an outer diameter of 30 millimeters or less, including those used in air conditioning compressors, alternators, anti-lock braking systems, cooling fans, fuel pumps, motors for electric control systems, starters, steering systems, transmissions, water pumps, wheels and windshield wiper motors.

According to the class action lawsuit, Minebea conspired with other auto parts manufacturers to raise and fix the price of small bearings. Direct purchasers allegedly suffered financial damages from this scheme when they were forced to overpay for small bearings. 

Minebea Mitsumi is a machined parts manufacturer based in Japan.

Minebea hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to resolve the antitrust class action lawsuit with a $9.75 million settlement.

Under the terms of the small bearings direct purchaser class action settlement, class members can receive a cash payment based on the amount they paid for small bearings purchased from the defendants. No payment estimates are available at this time. 

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Aug. 25, 2023.

The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for Oct. 12, 2023.

In order to receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Oct. 26, 2023.

Who’s Eligible

Consumers and entities who purchased small bearings directly from Minebea Mitsumi Inc., NMB USA Inc., NMB Technologies Corp., NSK Ltd., NSK Americas Inc. and/or NSK Corp. between June 1, 2003, and Feb. 15, 201

Potential Award

TBD

Proof of Purchase

Invoices, purchase journals, accounts payable journals, etc. or estimation methods used to calculate your claimed purchases. When records are available to allow the class member to calculate and document the dollar amount of their purchases, they

Claim Form

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

10/26/2023

Case Name

McGuire Bearing Co. v. Minebea Mitsumi Inc., et al., Case No. 2:17-cv-10853-MOB-MKM, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Final Hearing

10/12/2023

Settlement Website

AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com/sb

Claims Administrator

Small Bearings Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation
P.O. Box 3560
Portland, OR 97208-3560
888-396-9607

Class Counsel

Steven A Kanner
FREED KANNER LONDON & MILLEN LLC

Joseph C Kohn
KOHN SWIFT & GRAF PC

Gregory P Hansel
PRETI FLAHERTY BELIVEAU & PACHIOS LLP

William G Caldes
SPECTOR ROSEMAN & KODROFF PC

Defense Counsel

James L Cooper
ARNOLD & PORTER KAYE SCHOLER LLP