Federal Court in Ohio to Hear Consolidated Tire Price-Fixing Cases

A federal judicial panel has determined that the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is the appropriate venue for a newly-consolidated multidistrict litigation (MDL) accusing several major tire manufacturers of inflating replacement tire prices.

The US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation approved the consolidation of 14 separate lawsuits on June 7, citing the advantages of centralized proceedings for the efficiency and consistency of judicial rulings. The MDL will be presided over by Judge Sara Lioi, who has scheduled a case management conference for July 2.

The suits, filed by consumer plaintiffs, allege that tiremakers including Michelin North America Inc. and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. engaged in a conspiracy to fix the prices of replacement tires. The plaintiffs claim this collusion led to inflated prices, harming consumers across the country.

The consolidation aims to streamline pretrial proceedings, reduce duplicative discovery, and prevent inconsistent rulings. It also facilitates coordinated handling of complex litigation involving common factual and legal questions.

Judge Lioi, who has experience with multidistrict litigation, will oversee the pretrial proceedings.