The PVC pipe antitrust lawsuit is a consolidated class action in the Northern District of Illinois (Case No. 1:24-cv-07639) accusing more than a dozen PVC pipe manufacturers of secretly coordinating prices on pipes and fittings sold across the United States beginning as early as January 2020. Four defendants have already agreed to pay roughly $283 million combined, and claims against about a dozen more manufacturers are still active. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of California is running a parallel criminal investigation into the same conduct.
What the Manufacturers Are Accused Of
The complaints allege that the companies called “Converter Defendants” conspired to fix, raise, and stabilize PVC pipe prices rather than compete on them. Plaintiffs say the scheme ran from at least January 2020 through the present, a stretch when PVC pipe costs climbed sharply.
At the center of the alleged conspiracy is the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), an industry data provider that plaintiffs say operated not as a neutral reporter but as the cartel’s hub. OPIS employee Donna Todd, who authored the PVC & Pipe Weekly report, is accused of serving as the linchpin: when one manufacturer issued a confidential price-increase letter, Todd allegedly circulated it to competitors within minutes so they could match it almost simultaneously. She is also alleged to have run a “BCC List” that passed price sheets among ostensible competitors and to have cultivated an exclusive network of senior executives that one CEO reportedly called a “good old boys club.”
Plaintiffs say OPIS’s records produced in the case include thousands of pages of handwritten notes, more than 8,000 text messages, and thousands of Todd’s emails, which the complaints describe as “direct evidence” of agreements to fix prices.
The complaints also allege that manufacturers used rising PVC resin costs as cover. Companies publicly blamed raw-material prices, plaintiffs say, but kept charging inflated prices after resin costs normalized and demand softened, capturing windfall margins. None of the settling defendants has admitted fault.
Who Is Being Sued
The Converter Defendants named in the litigation include JM Eagle, Atkore, Cantex, Charlotte Pipe, Cresline, Diamond Plastics, IPEX, National Pipe, Northern Pipe, Otter Tail Corporation, Prime Conduit, Sanderson Pipe, Southern Pipe, Westlake (operating as NAPCO), and Vinyltech, along with several affiliated entities. OPIS is named as both a facilitator and a direct participant. Donna Todd is the only individual identified in court filings, with her exposure tied to her role at OPIS.
Six large distributors are identified in the complaints as alleged co-conspirators but are not formal defendants: Core & Main, Ferguson Enterprises, Fortiline Waterworks, Hajoca Corporation, Porter Pipe & Supply, and United Pipe & Steel. Together they control more than 70 percent of direct PVC pipe purchases in the United States, according to plaintiffs, who allege the distributors participated because inflated prices increased their own margins and protected them from inventory write-downs.
Who Qualifies as a Class Member
The case covers three separate groups of buyers, each with its own class and its own counsel.
- Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs are companies and entities that bought PVC pipe directly from the manufacturers.
- Non-Converter Seller Purchasers (NCSPs) are buyers who purchased PVC pipes or fittings from distributors or retailers rather than directly from the manufacturers. The NCSP class period runs from January 1, 2020 through May 13, 2026 and covers purchases anywhere in the United States. Public utilities, indirect purchasers who bought from non-converter intermediaries, and the named co-conspirator distributors are excluded.
- End-User Plaintiffs are consumers, plumbers, electricians, and contractors who bought PVC products at the retail or distributor level. Co-lead counsel for this class was appointed on June 18, 2025.
Settlements Reached So Far
Four defendant groups have settled. All settlements require court approval, and no settling defendant has admitted liability. Settling defendants have agreed to cooperate with the ongoing case against the remaining manufacturers.
OPIS. OPIS settled with both direct purchasers and NCSPs for a combined $6 million, split evenly at $3 million per class. A fairness hearing on the direct-purchaser portion was scheduled for June 3, 2026. As part of the deal, OPIS produced the Donna Todd records now central to the case.
Westlake. On March 26, 2026, Westlake Corporation agreed to pay $67 million to settle direct-purchaser claims. Claims by the indirect-purchaser plaintiffs against Westlake remain pending.
Atkore. On April 28, 2026, Atkore agreed to pay $136.5 million: $72.5 million to direct purchasers and $64 million to NCSPs. A fairness hearing on the NCSP portion is set for September 15, 2026.
Otter Tail (Northern Pipe and Vinyltech). On May 28, 2026, Otter Tail Corporation agreed to pay $73.5 million covering its subsidiaries Northern Pipe Products and Vinyltech Corporation. The split is $39.5 million to direct purchasers and $34 million to NCSPs. Claims by the end-user class against these defendants remain pending. A fairness hearing on the NCSP portion is also set for September 15, 2026.
Confirmed settlements total roughly $283 million across all classes. Roughly a dozen Converter Defendants remain in active litigation.
The Parallel Criminal Investigation
In October 2025, the Department of Justice disclosed an active grand jury investigation in the Northern District of California into potential criminal price-fixing, bid-rigging, and market allocation among PVC pipe manufacturers. On October 7, 2025, the DOJ’s Antitrust Division moved to intervene in the civil case and asked for a six-month partial stay of discovery to protect grand jury secrecy, stating there is “very substantial overlap” between the criminal conduct under review and the civil allegations.
Otter Tail disclosed receiving a grand jury subpoena for documents on the manufacturing, selling, and pricing of PVC pipe, and multiple publicly traded Converter Defendants have disclosed similar subpoenas. As of mid-2026, no indictments have been announced.
Deadlines and How to Claim
The case is before Judge LaShonda A. Hunt in the Northern District of Illinois. For most class members, the claims process has not yet opened. The end-user settlement website, administered by Kroll Settlement Administration, notes that no claims can be filed yet and no payments will be distributed until the court approves an allocation process.
For the NCSP class, the exclusion deadline for the Atkore and Northern Pipe/Vinyltech settlements is August 7, 2026, with a fairness hearing on September 15, 2026. If you bought PVC pipe or fittings in the United States on or after January 1, 2020, from a distributor, retailer, or other non-manufacturer seller, you likely fall within the NCSP class unless you are a public utility or one of the excluded co-conspirator distributors. Direct purchasers who bought from the manufacturers themselves fall into the DPP class, and consumers and tradespeople who bought at retail fall into the end-user class.
The practical step for now is to register at the official case or settlement websites so you receive notice when claim forms open and when the court sets allocation procedures. Keep purchase records: invoices, receipts, and purchase orders showing PVC pipe or fittings bought on or after January 1, 2020 will matter when the claims window opens.