Panasonic Reaches Settlement in Electrolytic & Film Capacitors Class Action Lawsuit

Panasonic has reportedly agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging the company participated in a conspiracy to fix the prices of film and electrolytic capacitors sold in Canada.

The Panasonic defendants include Panasonic Corporation, Panasonic Corporation of North America, Panasonic Canada Inc. and Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. They reportedly agreed to pay CAD $5.95 million to Canadians who purchased aluminum and tantalum electrolytic capacitors and CAD $1.35 million to Canadians who purchased film capacitors between Jan. 1, 2002 and Dec. 31, 2014.

The class action settlement is reportedly not an admission by Panasonic of any wrongdoing or liability.

In addition to providing compensation to eligible Class Members, the Panasonic defendants have also agreed to provide cooperation to the plaintiffs in pursuing their claims against the non-settling defendants.

The Supreme Court of British Columbia certified the electrolytic capacitors and film capacitors class action lawsuits for settlement purposes on Nov. 25. The proposed Panasonic settlement needs to be approved by courts in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec before benefits may be available to eligible Class Members.

A hearing will be held in Ontario on Feb. 25, 2021 and a hearing will be held in Quebec on March 17, 2021. Information about how to attend these hearings is available here.

What Do the Class Action Lawsuits Allege?

The electrolytic and film capacitors class action lawsuits, which were initially filed in 2014, allege that certain companies that sell and manufacture electrolytic capacitors and film capacitors conspired to fix, raise, maintain, increase or control the price for electrolytic capacitors and film capacitors in Canada.

As a result of the price-fixing conspiracy, the plaintiffs claim that purchasers of electrolytic and film capacitors and products that contain the capacitors paid artificially inflated prices.

Electrolytic capacitors and film capacitors are electronic components used in an electrical circuit to store a charge. Film capacitors are present in certain electronics, including smartphones, gaming consoles, home appliances and televisions.

All persons in Canada who purchased an electrolytic capacitor or product containing an electrolytic capacitor between Sept. 1, 1997 and Dec. 31, 2014 are Class Members of the electrolytic capacitor settlement. All persons in Canada who purchased a film capacitor or a product containing a film capacitor between Jan. 1, 2002 and Dec. 31, 2014 are Class Members of the film capacitor settlement.

Electrolytic Capacitor and Film Capacitor Class Action Settlements

A prior electrolytic capacitor class action settlement was reached with NEC TOKIN Corporation and NEC TOKIN America Inc. The NEC TOKIN defendants agreed to pay CAD $2.9 million to settle the electrolytic capacitor class action lawsuit.

Previous film capacitor class action settlements have also already been reached with three defendants: Nitsuko Electronics Corporation, Okaya Electric Industries Co. Ltd., and Okaya Electric America Inc.

Nitsuko agreed to pay USD $190,000 to settle the film capacitor class action lawsuit and the Okaya defendants agreed to pay CAD $460,000.

How Much Money Can Class Members Claim?

Because the class action lawsuits are still ongoing against the non-settling defendants, the total amount of compensation Class Members may be eligible to receive from the capacitor settlements has not yet been determined. Further, a court will need to approve the settlements before any money will be available to Class Members.

A website with more information about the capacitors class action settlements has been established at CapacitorClassAction.ca. The deadline to comment or object to the electrolytic capacitor and/or film capacitor class action settlement is Feb. 23, 2021.

The deadline to opt out of the capacitor class action lawsuits passed on Oct. 24, 2018.

Top Class Actions will post the open settlement information and claim filing instructions once they become available. Click on the “Follow Article” at the top of this page to get the latest updates about the electrolytic capacitor and/or film capacitor class action settlement by using your free Top Class Actions account. For the latest updates, keep checking ca.TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter.

Are you planning to submit a claim for the electrolytic capacitor settlement and/or the film capacitor settlement? Let us know in the comments section below.

Class Members are represented by Foreman & Company, Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman, and Belleau Lapointe s.e.n.c.r.l.

The Electrolytic Capacitors Class Action Lawsuit is Ramsay v. Panasonic Corporation, et al., in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The Film Capacitors Class Action Lawsuit is Ramsay v. Okaya Electric Industries Co. Ltd., et al., in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada.

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