Case Updates
BFA Partner Lesley Weaver Appointed to Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for German Autos
BFA Partner Lesley Weaver is one of 11 attorneys appointed to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in In re: German Automotive Manufacturers Antitrust Litigation ("German Autos"), who, along with appointed lead counsel, were selected from a field of 38 applicants.
BFA was one of the first law firms to file suit against German automobile manufacturers and supplier Bosch, alleging the largest known single automobile cartel in U.S. and European history. The action claims the self-named Fünfer-Kreis ("Circle of Five") Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and BMW— engaged in a 20-year cartel to suppress the development of technology in their automobiles from 1996 until at least 2015, as admitted by Daimler and VW to European regulators. The cartel allowed the Circle of Five to reduce research and development costs amongst themselves, while charging customers premiums for their supposed "quality and innovation" and suppressing alternatives that would have been provided by real competition.
"I am thrilled to be appointed to a steering committee composed of such a strong group of litigators,and look forward to working with the committee to strategically prosecute this case," says Ms. Weaver.
Lesley Weaver, who leads BFA's Antitrust and Consumer Litigation Practice, is one of the lead attorneys in both the Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler "Dieselgate" litigations, which allege that the carmakers deliberately cheated on emissions testing in coordination with Bosch. So far, the attorneys leading the Volkswagen litigation have recovered over $14.7 billion for class members and nearly $5 billion for the environment, the largest automotive class action recovery ever.
If you are interested in learning more about the case, please contact us at carcartelinquiry@bfalaw.com.
BFA was one of the first law firms to file suit against German automobile manufacturers and supplier Bosch, alleging the largest known single automobile cartel in U.S. and European history. The action claims the self-named Fünfer-Kreis ("Circle of Five") Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and BMW— engaged in a 20-year cartel to suppress the development of technology in their automobiles from 1996 until at least 2015, as admitted by Daimler and VW to European regulators. The cartel allowed the Circle of Five to reduce research and development costs amongst themselves, while charging customers premiums for their supposed "quality and innovation" and suppressing alternatives that would have been provided by real competition.
"I am thrilled to be appointed to a steering committee composed of such a strong group of litigators,and look forward to working with the committee to strategically prosecute this case," says Ms. Weaver.
Lesley Weaver, who leads BFA's Antitrust and Consumer Litigation Practice, is one of the lead attorneys in both the Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler "Dieselgate" litigations, which allege that the carmakers deliberately cheated on emissions testing in coordination with Bosch. So far, the attorneys leading the Volkswagen litigation have recovered over $14.7 billion for class members and nearly $5 billion for the environment, the largest automotive class action recovery ever.
If you are interested in learning more about the case, please contact us at carcartelinquiry@bfalaw.com.