AKRON (Aug. 6, 2004) — Goodyear has filed an antitrust lawsuit against makers and distributors of rubber chemicals, alleging they engaged in price-fixing and anti-competitive practices.
The suit, filed in late July in U.S. District Court in Akron, doesn't specify a damage amount. That will be determined during the course of court proceedings, the company said.
Named in the suit are Bayer A.G., Bayer Corp., Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH and Rhein Chemie Corp. (both now operating under Lanxess GmbH, a Bayer spinoff) and Crompton Corp. and Crompton's Uniroyal Chemical Co. Inc. unit. Goodyear said it may add others to the list after discovery hearings are held.
This is the second lawsuit the tire maker has filed following price-fixing investigations by authorities in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The tire maker also has sued suppliers of EPDM and polychloroprene.
Bayer and Crompton have pleaded guilty in the U.S. to price-fixing in the rubber chemicals market. Bayer will pay a $66 million fine while Crompton will pay $50 million in the U.S., plus $6.8 million in Canada.