AKRON, OH — Goodyear Tire & Rubber has filed an antitrust lawsuit against suppliers of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) alleging price fixing and anti-competitive conduct in violation of the federal Sherman Act antitrust laws.
EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) is a synthetic rubber that is used in rubber-containing products to improve their strength, and EPDM has excellent resistance to heat, oxidation, ozone and weather aging due to its stable, saturated polymer structure. Goodyear uses EPDM in tires, hoses and belts, for example.
The lawsuit was filed May 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Akron, Ohio.
“Goodyear, in the best interests of our shareholders, is seeking to recover the overcharges paid as a result of the anti-competitive conduct of these companies,” said C. Thomas Harvie, Goodyear’s senior vice president, general counsel and secretary. “Goodyear is a significant global purchaser of EPDM and Goodyear spends substantial amounts on these products.”
Goodyear’s lawsuits do not specify a damage amount. That, the company said, will be determined during the course of court proceedings.
In the EPDM case, Goodyear is suing:
* Bayer A.G., Leverkusen, Germany;
* Bayer Polymers LLC, Pittsburgh, Pa.;
* Bayer Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa.;
* Crompton Corp., Middlebury, Conn.;
* Uniroyal Chemical Co. Inc., Middlebury, Conn.;
* The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.;
* E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Del.;
* DuPont Dow Elastomers LLC, Wilmington, Del.;
* DSM Elastomers B.V., Sitterb, The Netherlands;
* DSM CoPolymer, Inc., Baton Rouge, La.;
* Polimeri Europa S.p.A., Milan, Italy;
* Polimeri Europa Americas, Inc., Houston, Texas
Goodyear’s complaint reserves the right to add other defendants based upon discovery and proceedings in the case.
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