A class action is a lawsuit filed by one person on behalf of a large group of people with the same concerns.
Class actions were commenced in Canada alleging that the Defendants unlawfully conspired to fix prices for CRTs and CRT Products. CRTs were commonly used in televisions and computer monitors. CRTs have now largely been replaced by flat-panel technology, including LCDs and plasmas.
A CRT (cathode ray tube) is a display device commonly used in televisions and computer monitors. CRT has now largely been replaced by flat-panel technology, including LCDs and plasmas.
For the purpose of this claims website, the following definitions apply:
The Defendants in the Canadian CRT class action are:
Settlements totalling CAD $49.8 million were reached with seven groups of Defendants.
Defendant Group | Settlement Amount |
Chunghwa | CAD $2,000,000 |
Panasonic | CAD $4,150,000 |
Toshiba | USD $2,950,000 |
Hitachi | USD $2,050,000 |
LG Electronics | CAD $7,750,000 |
Philips | CAD $12,396,500 |
Samsung SDI | CAD $16,980,000 |
Class counsel fees and expenses, fees and expenses for administration costs and for notice have been approved by the courts and will be deducted from the settlement funds. The remaining settlement funds will be available to pay claims from qualified people who file valid claims.
You are a “Settlement Class Member” and eligible to receive a payment if you live in Canada and you purchased CRTs, CRT televisions and/or CRT computer monitors (regardless of the manufacturer or brand) in Canada between March 1995 and November 2007.
You can apply for a payment by completing the online claim form by March 1, 2019.
It does not cost anything to file a claim. Counsel and Administration fees will be paid out of the settlement funds.
Claims must be filed by no later than March 1, 2019.
The claim form will require information about you and your purchases. No documentary proof of purchase is required at this time, however, if you are selected for audit you will be required to provide additional proof of purchase.
You can file claims in respect of up to two CRT Products that are not supported by documentary proof of purchase. These claims are not subject to audit.
If you file a claim for undocumented purchases, your CRT Products will be assigned the following values for the purpose of determining your total CRT Purchases:
CRT Product | Value |
Small CRT televisions (screen <30", measured diagonally) |
$500 |
Large CRT televisions (screen ≥30", measured diagonally) |
$1620 |
CRT Monitors | $320 |
Immediately after you file your claim, a page will be displayed confirming the submission of your claim. You will also be sent a confirmation email to the email address you provided in your claim form.
If you do not receive this confirmation, please confirm that you have filled in all the required information. There will be red text on the form anywhere that information is missing. If you are still unsure whether your claim was filed, call us at 1-866-537-7270 or email us at [email protected].
The court has appointed RicePoint Administration Inc., as the "Claims Administrator". The Claims Administrator will receive and review claims, make determinations in respect of entitlement to settlement benefits, and issue payments to eligible Settlement Class Members.
Once all claims are received and processed, decision notices will be sent to everyone who filed claims. Decision notices will be sent to the email or mailing address you provided in the claim form. If your address changes prior to receiving a decision notice, it is your responsibility to advise the Claims Administrator.
Accurate claims processing takes a significant amount of time. Your patience is appreciated.
The Claims Administrator will notify you, by email or by regular mail, that your claim is the subject of an audit and that you are required to provide proof of purchase.
Proof of purchase might include:
Please see paragraph 39-42 of the Distribution Protocol for more information.
Settlement funds will be distributed to qualifying settlement class members pro rata (proportionally) based on the value of the qualifying settlement class member’s “Notional Entitlement” (see FAQ 16) as against the value of all qualifying settlement class members’ Notional Entitlements. This means that the amount you will receive depends on the number and size of the claims filed.
Notwithstanding the above, subject to further order of the Ontario Court, settlement class members with valid claims will receive a minimum payment of $20.
For the purposes of the pro rata distribution, a Settlement Class Member’s Notional Entitlement will be calculated based on: (a) The Settlement Class Member’s CRT Purchases; (b) The value of the CRT within the CRT Product; and (c) The categorization of the Settlement Class Member.
(a) The Settlement Class Member’s CRT Purchases
The Claims Administrator will calculate aggregate amount actually paid by a Settlement Class Member for CRT Products between March 1, 1995 to November 25, 2007, less any rebates, discounts, delivery or shipping charges and taxes (“CRT Purchases”) using the Defendants’ sales data and/or information provided by the Settlement Class Member.
If a Settlement Class Members claims for undocumented purchases, their CRT Purchases shall be calculated using the values listed in FAQ 11.
(b) The value of the CRT within the CRT Product
The following values will be applied in order to account for the value of the CRT within the CRT Product, and the stronger liability and damages case for CRTs used in monitors:
CRT Purchase |
Value |
CRT |
100% |
Small CRT televisions |
50% |
Large CRT televisions (screen ≥30", measured diagonally) |
75% |
CRT monitors | 85% |
(c) The categorization of the Settlement Class Member
Settlement Class Members will be categorized into purchaser groups depending on their position in the distribution chain. Settlement Class Members can fall within multiple purchaser groups. The purchaser groups are as follows:
Category of Settlement Class Member |
Description | Value of Purchases |
Direct Purchaser End User | A Settlement Class Member who purchased CRT products for their own use and not for commercial resale from a Defendant or entity related to the Defendant | 100% |
Direct Purchaser Reseller | A Settlement Class Member who purchased CRT products for commercial resale direct from a Defendant or entity related to the Defendant |
25% |
Other End User | A Settlement Class Member who purchased CRT products for their own use and not for commercial resale, from an entity that is not a Defendant or related to a Defendant | 80% |
Other Reseller | A Settlement Class Member who purchased CRT products for commercial resale, from an entity that is not a Defendant or related to a Defendant |
15% |
Sample Calculation:
If a Direct Purchaser Reseller purchased $100,000 worth of small CRT televisions, its Notional Entitlement for the purpose of determining its prorata share of the Net Settlement Amount would be calculated as follows:
$100,000 (representing the CRT Purchases) x .5 (representing the value of the CRT within the CRT Product) x .25 (representing the categorization of the Settlement Class Member) = $12,500.
Assuming the value of all qualifying Settlement Class Members’ Notional Entitlement totaled $10 million, this Settlement Class Member would be entitled to 0.125% ($12,500/$10 million) of the Net Settlement Funds.
These numbers do not reflect the actual amount to be paid to Settlement Class Members, but rather the value of their Notional Entitlement for the purpose of determining their prorata share in the Net Settlement Amount.
In class actions, payment typically occurs a year after the claims deadline.
Accurate claims processing takes a significant amount of time. Your patience is appreciated.
The law firm of Siskinds LLP represents Settlement Class Members in Ontario, and in provinces other than British Columbia or Quebec, as well as corporations of more than 50 employees in Quebec. Siskinds LLP can be reached at:
Telephone (toll free): 1-800-461-6166 ext. 2455
Email: [email protected]
Mail: 680 Waterloo Street, London, ON N6A 3V8 Attention: Charles Wright
The law firm of Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman LLP represents Settlement Class Members in British Columbia. British Columbia Class Counsel can be reached at:
Telephone: 604-689-7555
Email: [email protected]
Mail: #400 - 856 Homer Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2W5 Attention: Jen Winstanley
The law firm of Siskinds Desmeules s.e.n.c.r.l. represents individuals and corporations of 50 or less employees who are Settlement Class Members in Québec. Québec Class Counsel can be reached at:
Telephone: 418-694-2009
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Les Promenades du Vieux-Québec, 43 rue De Buade, bureau 320, Québec City, QC G1R 4A2 Attention: Caroline Perrault
You do not need to pay out-of-pocket for the lawyers working on the class actions. The lawyers were paid from the settlement funds in the amount approved by the courts.
All information collected as part of this administration is collected, used, and retained by the Claims Administrator, Class Counsel and their agents pursuant to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, SC 2000 c 5, for the purposes of administering the CRT Canadian Price-Fixing Class Action, including evaluating your eligibility status under the settlement agreements reached with the Defendants and the distribution protocol approved by the Court. The information provided is strictly private and confidential and will not be disclosed without your express written consent, except in accordance with the settlement agreements, distribution protocol, and/or orders of the Court. More information about the Claims Administrator is available by clicking here.
If you are an eligible individual claimant, you will receive payment by E-Transfer. E-Transfer is a fast, secure, convenient way to receive settlement benefits. It allows us to send funds directly to your e-mail address, and then allows you to deposit those funds using web or mobile banking. Funds sent by E-Transfer are not subject to a hold period and are available in your account immediately.
E-transfer is the most economical way to distribute settlement benefits. By keeping our administration costs low, we are able to distribute more money to eligible claimants.
If you are unable or unwilling to receive payment by E-Transfer, please contact the Claims Administrator.
Eligible commercial claimants will receive payment by cheque.
If you have further questions please contact the Claims Administrator (RicePoint Administration Inc.) at:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone (toll-free): 1-866-537-7270