Overview

Case Number: No. 98 Civ. 5055 and 99-1341

Practice Area: Antitrust

Case Status: Settled

Settlement Amount: $202 million

Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Berger Montague served on the Executive Committee and obtained a $202 million settlement in this nationwide antitrust class action against the producers of linerboard. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants conspired to reduce production of linerboard in order to increase the price of linerboard and the corrugated boxes and sheets made from linerboard. The case was litigated in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and captioned In re Linerboard Antitrust Litigation, No. 98 Civ. 5055 and 99-1341 (E.D. Pa.).

The district court’s opinion certifying a class of purchasers of cardboard sheets and boxes was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in a widely cited precedential opinion. In re Linerboard Antitrust Litigation, 305 F.3d 145 (3d Cir. 2002). Following extensive litigation, the parties agreed to the $202 million settlement at the close of discovery.

In granting final approval of the settlement, U.S. District Court Judge Jan DuBois of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania lauded the work of the plaintiffs’ attorneys and noted Berger Montague’s role as co-manager of “a major discovery effort.” Judge DuBois stated:

[T]he size of the settlements in absolute terms and expressed as a percentage of total damages evidence a high level of skill by petitioners … The Court has repeatedly stated that the lawyering in the case at every stage was superb, and does so again.”

In re Linerboard Antitrust Litig., 2004 WL 1221350, at 5-6 (E.D. Pa. 2004).

If you or your company has been harmed by anticompetitive conduct or any conduct that you believe violates the antitrust laws, please contact Berger Montague.

About Berger Montague

Berger Montague is a national law firm focusing on complex civil litigation in federal and state courts throughout the United States. For over half a century, Berger Montague has played lead roles in consequential, precedent-setting cases and has recovered over $50 billion for its clients and the classes they have represented. Berger Montague is headquartered in Philadelphia and has offices in Chicago, Minneapolis, San Diego, San Francisco, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.

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