Georgia-Pacific (GP) has reached a tentative settlement with plaintiffs in the OSB anti-trust litigation involving most of North America’s major OSB producers.
According to US industry publication Random Lengths, attorneys representing the plaintiffs have filed a motion seeking preliminary approval of the settlement, in which GP would pay US$9m and agree to cooperate in claims against remaining defendants.
A similar motion has been filed on behalf of plaintiffs seeking court approval of a settlement with Ainsworth Lumber Company for US$8.6m.
JM Huber Corporation reached a settlement with plaintiffs last spring.
Louisiana-Pacific Corp (LP), Georgia-Pacific Corp, Weyerhaeuser Co, Potlatch Corp, Ainsworth Lumber Co, Norbord Inc, Tolko Industries Ltd, Grant Forest Products Inc and JM Huber Corp were all named in five anti-trust lawsuits filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in March 2006. The suits alleged price-fixing and collusion to limit product availability from June 1, 2002 through to the present.
A trial in the case has been scheduled for March 25, 2008.