Dispersions supplier sues carbon black makers over price-fixing

PEACE DALE, R.I. (Feb. 21)—Technical Industries Inc., a supplier of aqueous dispersions and emulsions to the rubber and polymer processing industries, has filed a class-action lawsuit against carbon black producers Cabot Corp., Phelps Dodge Corp., Columbian Chemicals Co., Degussa Engineered Carbons L.P., Degussa A.G. and Degussa Corp., seeking damages related to alleged price-fixing by the defendants. Technical Industries filed the suit Jan. 30 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts "on its behalf and on behalf of all individuals or entities who purchased carbon black in the U.S. directly from the defendants from approximately 1999 until the present." The suit alleges the defendants "conspired to fix, raise, maintain or stabilize prices for carbon black sold in the U.S. during theàperiod," according to a summary of the action in Cabot's recently published 10-Q report. The plaintiffs seek treble damages and legal costs. Cabot said it "believes it has strong defenses to this action, which it intends to assert vigorously."