Illinois consumers may file claims in $36 million settlement over CRT screens
CHICAGO ─ Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Monday that Illinois consumers have until July 12, 2018, to claim money they may have overpaid on purchases of TVs and monitors that contain cathode ray tubes as part of $36 million in settlements with manufacturers.
The settlements stem from Madigan’s lawsuit against major technology companies alleging the companies illegally conspired to fix the prices for CRTs used in TVs and monitors. Madigan’s lawsuit alleged that the price-fixing conspiracy caused the prices for the products containing CRTs to rise significantly higher than the amounts Illinois consumers would have paid if prices had been set through normal competition. The settlements were entered with Hitachi, LG, Philips and Samsung.
“These companies illegally conspired to fix prices for CRTs,” Madigan said. “I encourage any Illinois consumers or business who bought a television or monitor containing these CRTs to file claims to recover the money they are owed.”
Illinois consumers who purchased TVs or monitors with CRTs from March 1, 1995 to Nov. 25, 2007 may be eligible for payment under the settlement. The settlement provides payment for any person or business that purchased CRT televisions or monitors for personal use and not for resale while residing in Illinois. The maximum amount eligible consumers can potentially recover is $20 for a CRT television and $60 for a CRT monitor. Individual recovery amounts will depend on the number of claims submitted per device and the total recovery.
Consumers and other claimants must submit a claim form to receive payment. Claim forms can be filed online at www.illinoiscrtsettlement.com. The deadline to file claims is July 12, 2018. More information about the settlement is available by visiting www.illinoiscrtsettlement.com or by calling 1 (866) 652-8226. Claims can also be submitted via mail to:
CRT Illinois Claims, c/o KCC Class Action Services, P.O. Box 404041, Louisville, KY 40233-4041
Eligible businesses and individual consumers can choose not to participate in the settlement and the ongoing lawsuit against two remaining CRT manufacturers, Toshiba and Panasonic, and some of their affiliates. The deadline to opt-out is March 12, 2018. Any request to opt out must be mailed to:
Illinois CRT Indirect Exclusions, c/o KCC Class Action Services, P.O. Box 404041, Louisville, KY 40233-4041
Payments from the settlement are subject to the court’s final approval of the settlement.
Assistant Attorneys General Blake Harrop, Elizabeth Maxeiner and Angelina Whitfield are handling the case for Madigan’s Antitrust Bureau.
