Robins Kaplan LLP is pleased to announce that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has officially certified the proposed class of end-user purchasers of products containing allegedly price-fixed suspension assemblies in the ongoing Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Suspension Assemblies antitrust litigation. This class certification decision comes on the heels of the Court’s May 2023 ruling denying Defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment regarding foreign commerce.
“We are thrilled with the Court’s decision to certify the class, marking a significant step forward for our clients,” said William Reiss, a partner at Robins Kaplan and co-lead counsel in the case, alongside Zelle LLP. “This is a major win for end-user purchasers, and we are committed to holding the defendants accountable for their alleged anticompetitive conduct.”
The lawsuit alleges that manufacturers of Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Suspension Assemblies conspired to fix prices and allocate markets. HDD Suspension Assemblies are a necessary component of HDDs, a commonly used data storage device used on its own or in computers and large servers. In May 2023, Defendants TDK and NHK sought partial summary judgment against two putative classes of Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs (end-user plaintiffs and reseller plaintiffs), arguing that because the initial sale of HDD suspension assemblies took place outside of the United States, Defendants’ conduct was outside the reach of the U.S. state competition and consumer protection laws of 29 states. The Court rejected Defendants’ argument, allowing Indirect Purchasers to move one step closer to vindicating their rights at trial.
With the class certified, Robins Kaplan, together with co-lead counsel Zelle LLP, will continue to vigorously pursue recovery on behalf of the putative end-user class for overcharges incurred as a result of Defendants’ allegedly anticompetitive conduct.
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