Compressors

Plaintiffs in this case allege a twelve year international conspiracy among Defendants Tecumseh Products Company, Tecumseh Compressor Company, Tecumseh do Brasil, Ltda., Tecumseh do Brasil USA, LLC, Whirlpool Corporation, Whirlpool S.A., Embraco North America, Inc., Danfoss A/S, Danfoss, Inc., Danfoss Commercial Compressors, Ltd., Danfoss Compressor, LLC, Danfoss Scroll Technologies, LLC, Danfoss Turbocor Compressors, Inc., Panasonic Corporation, Panasonic Corporation of North America, Appliances Components Companies, S.p.A., and ACC USA, LLC to fix, raise, maintain or stabilize the prices of and to allocate customers and markets for hermetic compressors sold in, among other places, the United States. Hermetic compressors are devices, sealed in a welded steel casing, that utilize a piston-like mechanism to compress refrigerant gases. 

Tecumseh Products Company has requested and received conditional amnesty under the United States Department of Justice's Corporate Leniency Policy, and it also has entered into amnesty agreements in the European Union and Brazil.  Significantly, to receive amnesty from these antitrust authorities, Tecumseh necessarily has admitted to its complicity in the alleged conspiracy and has provided information to these authorities confirming the identities, roles and activities of its co-conspirators.  The DOJ's Antitrust Division has issued grand jury subpoenas to Tecumseh and Whirlpool Corporation, and it is investigating several of the U.S-based Danfoss Defendants as well as Defendant Panasonic Corporation of North America.  Brazilian and EU competition authorities are also actively investigating the matter.