Several major manufacturers of automotive-refinish coatings are the target of a lawsuit alleging price fixing for refinish paints. The suit was filed recently by a group of auto-body shops in California against DuPont Co., The Sherwin-Williams Co., BASF, PPG Industries Inc., and Akzo Nobel.
The companies were identified early last year in a price-fixing inquiry launched by the U.S. Department of Justice, but no further action or conclusions have been announced as a result of that inquiry. The California lawsuit is reported to be one of several such legal actions filed against the auto-refinish paint makers. Industry sources said several lawsuits have been consolidated into a single proceeding in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.