If you
purchased polyether polyols, MDI, and/or TDI, you could get a payment from a
class action settlement.
What's This About?
The settlement arises from a class action lawsuit that the class plaintiffs,
Seegott Holdings, Inc. and Industrial Polymers, Inc., have filed against
Defendants Bayer AG, Bayer Corporation, Bayer MaterialScience AG, Bayer
MaterialScience LLC (collectively, "Bayer"), BASF AG, BASF Corporation, The Dow
Chemical Company, Huntsman International LLC, and Lyondell Chemical Company.
Plaintiffs allege that the Defendants
IMPORTANT DATES
& DEADLINES
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| Request an Exclusion: |
Deadline Has Passed |
| Object to the Settlement: |
Deadline Has Passed |
| File an Objection to the Plan of Allocation or Fee Petition: |
Filed with the Court, postmarked no later than June
12, 2009, with
copies served upon counsel for the class
plaintiffs. |
| Fairness Hearing: |
July 20, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.
US District Court,
Kansas City, Kansas
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unlawfully agreed to fix, raise, maintain, or stabilize the prices of and/or
allocate the markets for polyether polyols, MDI and TDI, whether sold
separately or combined in a system ("Products"), in violation of federal
antitrust law. Plaintiffs have reached a negotiated settlement of the claims
against Bayer. Bayer has denied engaging in any wrongful conduct.
Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement (accessible on the right side of this
page), Bayer paid $55.3 million into a settlement fund for the benefit of the
settlement class. Including accrued interest, the settlement fund balance is
now approximately $58.9 million. Bayer also agreed to cooperate with Plaintiffs
in the ongoing litigation against the remaining Defendants.
On August 30, 2006, the Honorable John W. Lungstrum of the United States
District Court for the District of Kansas determined that the Bayer settlement
was fair, reasonable, and adequate. You may view or download the Court's final
approval order on the right side of this page. That decision is final and not
subject to challenge. Plaintiffs continue to pursue their claims against the
remaining Defendants.
The class plaintiffs have asked the Court to approve a Plan of Allocation. A
copy of the Motion for Approval of Plan of Allocation is available on the right
side of this page. Under the proposed Plan of Allocation, the net settlement
proceeds (after payment of such fees and expenses, including costs of
administering the distribution, as are ordered by the Court) will be
distributed to Settlement Class members on a pro rata basis in
proportion to the dollar amount of their eligible Product purchases during the
Class Period. In addition, counsel for class plaintiffs have filed a Fee
Petition asking the Court for payment of attorneys' fees not to exceed
one-third of the Bayer settlement fund and for reimbursement of expenses
incurred through December 31, 2008 in their prosecution of this litigation in
an amount not to exceed $2.2 million. You may view or download a copy of the
Fee Petition on the right side of this page.
Who is Part of the Settlement Class?
The Court has certified a settlement class that includes all persons and
entities who purchased polyether polyols, monomeric or polymeric
diphenylmethane diisocyanate("MDI"), and/or toluene diisocyanate ("TDI"),
whether sold separately or in a combined form with or without other chemicals
added thereto (e.g., systems), directly from any Defendant at any time from
January 1, 1999 through December 31, 2004, in or for delivery in the United
States and its territories (excluding all governmental entities, any
defendants, their employees, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, and
affiliates). A list of the Products included in the settlement is available on
the right side of this page.
What are Your Options?
If you are included in the settlement class, you may:
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Do Nothing.
You do not need to do anything at this time to receive money from the
settlement fund. If the proposed Plan of Allocation is approved by the Court,
you will receive a claim form to request a payment.
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Object to the Motion for Approval of Plan of Allocation and/or the Fee
Petition. Any objections must be in writing and filed with the
Clerk, United States District Court for the District of Kansas, 500 State
Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66101, postmarked no later than June 12, 2009, with
copies served upon counsel for the class plaintiffs.
Any member of the settlement class may hire its own attorney at its own expense
and enter an individual appearance in the case.
For information concerning the Settlement, including instructions on how to
object to the Motion for Approval of Plan of Allocation and/or the Fee
Petition, view the documents on the right side of this page or contact Class
Counsel or the Settlement Administrator, listed below. Please do not contact
the Court, the Clerk's Office, or Bayer.
| Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC |
Richard A. Koffman, Esq.
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC
West Tower, Suite 500
1100 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005-3964
(202) 408-4600
rkoffman@cohenmilstein.com |
| Fine, Kaplan and Black, R.P.C. |
Gerard A. Dever, Esq.
Fine, Kaplan and Black, R.P.C.
1835 Market Street
Suite 2800
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 567-6565
gdever@finekaplan.com
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| Settlement Administrator |
Urethane Antitrust Litigation
Polyether Polyol Cases
c/o Complete Claim Solutions, Inc.
P.O. Box 24628
West Palm Beach, FL 33416
UrethaneInfo@CompleteClaimSolutions.com
If you would like to speak with the Administrator's Office, please call
toll-free:
877-741-1226
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