Vitamin price-fixing
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Dietary supplement manufacturer and multi-level marketer Shaklee is one of eight representative plaintiffs in class action suit certified by D.C. federal Judge Thomas Hogan Feb. 25. Action was filed in June 2000 on behalf of direct purchasers of vitamins A, B, C, E, beta carotene and premixes from nonsettling defendants "or their co-conspirators" between Jan. 1, 1990 and Sept. 30, 1998. Defendants include Merck KgaA, Sumitomo Chemical America, Tanabe USA, Lonza, Nepera, Reilly Industries, Degussa-Huls. The thousands of class members will be given chance to opt out; 224 class members, representing approximately 75% of vitamin purchases at issue, previously opted out of a class settlement against seven defendants, including Hoffman-LaRoche, BASF (1"The Tan Sheet" April 3, 2000, p. 7)...