Update: The Court entered a minute order on December 3, 2019 granting final approval of the Settlements.  The motion on attorneys' fees, expenses, and service award is taken under submission. A copy of the minute order is available on the Important Documents page.  Please continue to check this website for further updates. 

Settlements have been reached with the Defendants (listed below) in a class action lawsuit where Plaintiffs alleged that the Defendants participated in an unlawful conspiracy to raise, fix, maintain, or stabilize the price of linear resistors at artificially high levels.

The Settlements will provide $50,250,000 to persons in the United States who purchased linear resistors directly from any of the Defendants from July 9, 2003 through August 1, 2014.

Kamaya, Inc., Kamaya Electric Co., Ltd., Walsin Technology Corporation, Walsin Technology Corporation USA, Hokuriku Electric Industry Co., Ltd., HDK America, Inc., Panasonic Corporation, Panasonic Corporation of North America, ROHM Co., Ltd., ROHM Semiconductor U.S.A., LLC, KOA Corporation, and KOA Speer Electronics, Inc., (collectively "Defendants") deny all charges of wrongdoing or liability against them.

Your legal rights are affected whether you act or don't act.  This website includes information on the Settlements and the lawsuit.  Read this website carefully. 

What is this lawsuit about?

Resistors are electrical components that limit or regulate the flow of electrical current in an electronic circuit. Resistors can also be used to provide a specific voltage for an active device such as a transistor. The resistance is the measure of opposition to the flow of current in a resistor. More resistance means more opposition to current. Resistors are a fundamental component of electrical circuits used in electronic devices such as televisions, cell phones, computers, and kitchen equipment. Many such devices will contain multiple – sometimes hundreds – of resistors per device.

Linear resistors consist of fixed and variable resistors and can be created in a variety of ways including the carbon-composition resistor and thick and thin film resistors. Many manufacturers manufacture multiple different types of linear resistors. Generally, linear resistors are most commonly used in consumer electronics such as computers and audio/visual devices.

The Plaintiff alleged that Settling Defendants participated in an unlawful conspiracy to raise, fix, maintain, or stabilize the price of linear resistors at artificially high levels in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1 et seq. The Defendants deny the Plaintiff’s allegations. The Court has not decided who is right.

How do I know if I am part of the Settlements?

The Class for the Settlements has been defined as all persons in the United States who purchased linear resistors (including through controlled subsidiaries, agents, affiliates, or joint ventures) directly from any of the Defendants, their subsidiaries, agents, affiliates, or joint ventures from July 9, 2003 through August 1, 2014 (the “Class Period”).  

These rights and options - and the deadlines to exercise them - are explained on this website.

The Court in charge of this case still has to decide whether to approve the Settlements.  Payments will be made if the Court approves the Settlements and after any appeals are resolved.  Please be patient.