A federal appeals court panel ruled that individual truck buyers’ antitrust claims can move forward in a lawsuit against transmission maker Eaton and the manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks in the US.
The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia vacated part of a lower court’s ruling that originally dismissed truck buyers’ claims against Eaton.
The case brought by Carleton Transport Service, Meunier Enterprises, Purdy Brothers Trucking and other trucking companies alleges they suffered monetary damages brought on by Eaton’s near monopoly of the transmissions market from 2002 to 2014.
The appeals court panel concluded on Feb. 9 that the US District Court in Delaware “improperly ruled that the entire action should be dismissed despite its earlier ruling that appellants’ individual claims survived.”
“This case is still pending and Eaton’s policy is that we do not comment on pending litigation,” Jim Michels, Eaton’s spokesman, told Trucks.com.
The antitrust case is related to a lawsuit originally brought by ZF Meritor against Eaton in 2006 alleging the transmission manufacturer entered into exclusive contracts with nearly every truck maker that purchased transmissions for heavy-duty trucks in North America. ZF Meritor claimed that Eaton cornered nearly 90 percent of the market.
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