A US District Court has for the second time rejected a class-action suit by shippers accusing Matson Navigation and Horizon Lines of price-fixing on lines between Guam and Hawaii and the US mainland. Judge Thomas Zilly, suggested that shippers take their plea to the Surface Transportation Board, which oversees domestic shipping rates, after noting that the plaintiffs fell short of proving an antitrust conspiracy.
The lawsuit comes after the 2008 criminal investigation by the Justice Department into price-fixing on US-Puerto Rico lines in violation of the Jones Act. The high-profile probe led to five admissions of guilt for antitrust or evidentiary breaches by officials from Horizon and Sea Star Line.
The two companies have since offered a joint settlement of US$52.25 million in a related class-action suit, which 1,470 shippers have accepted, but that 230 organisations, including Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Unilever have opted out from in hopes of securing alternative settlements or filing individual claims.
Source : HKSG, 06.12.10.
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