Vitamin maker agrees to settle in price-fixing case
German chemicals firm Merck KGaA, one the vitamin manufacturers
involved in the price fixing allegations, has reached a settlement
and is co-operating with the plaintiffs, reported the New York
Times today.
involved in the price fixing allegations, has reached a settlement
and is co-operating with the plaintiffs, reported the New York
Times today.
The company has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum, and will provide documents and witnesses to bolster the plaintiffs' case, said the report.
Other defendants in the case include Roche, BASF and Aventis. The US Supreme Court said this week that it would hear an appeal from the vitamin makers, being sued by firms from Australia, Ecuador, Panama and Ukraine.The companies have challenged the lawsuit, first filed in 2000, claiming that they cannot be sued in the US for activities carried out abroad.
Some manufacturers have already pleaded guilty to antitrust charges in the United States, paying fines of $900 million. The European Union has also charged the companies.
