If You Are a Washington Consumer Who Bought a Television OR Computer Monitor containing a Cathode Ray Tube (“CRT”) from a Retailer between March 1, 1995 and November 25, 2007

You May Be Eligible to Participate in a Settlement.

Please note that the claims filing deadline has been extended to June 17, 2019.

The information contained on this web page is only a summary of information presented in more detail in the Notice, which you can access by clicking here.  Since this website is just a summary, you should review the Notice for additional details.

• The Washington State Attorney General authorized this notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer. Please read this notice carefully, as it explains whether you are eligible to submit a claim for payment from the Settlement Fund.

• On behalf of Washington governmental entities and as parens patriae on behalf of Washington consumers, the Washington State Attorney General brought an antitrust lawsuit involving the price of cathode ray tubes (“CRTs”). The complaint alleged that the Defendants participated in an unlawful conspiracy to fix, raise, maintain, or stabilize prices of CRT, resulting in damages to consumers who bought finished products containing a CRT. 

• The Washington State Attorney General reached settlements with the seven CRT manufacturers named as Defendants in the lawsuit for a total settlement of over $39 million. The Defendants did not admit to the allegations in the complaint, but agreed to the settlement terms.

• The settlement benefits Washington consumers (individuals and businesses) and Washington governmental entities that purchased products containing a CRT from a retailer or someone other than the manufacturer of the monitor or television.

• The settlement benefits Washington consumers (individuals and businesses) and Washington governmental entities that purchased one or more CRT monitors or CRT televisions for their own use and not for resale.

Who is included in the settlement?

Washington consumers: The Washington State Attorney General reached a settlement on behalf of Washington consumers. You are eligible to participate in the settlement if you or your business:

·         purchased a CRT monitor or CRT television between March 1, 1995 and November 25, 2007; and

·         resided or had headquarters in Washington at the time of purchase; and

·         purchased the CRT monitor or CRT television from a retailer or someone other than the manufacturer of the CRT; and

·         purchased the CRT monitor or CRT television for your own use and not for resale.

What do the settlements provide?

There are nine settlements, totaling over $39 million:

·         Chunghwa will pay $125,000 into the Settlement Fund;

·         Hitachi will pay $275,000 into the Settlement Fund;

·         LG will pay $1,500,000 into the Settlement Fund;

·         Panasonic will pay $450,000 into the Settlement Fund;

·         Philips will pay $7,000,000 into the Settlement Fund;

·         Samsung will pay $29,000,000 into the Settlement Fund;

·         Toshiba will pay $1,300,000 into the Settlement Fund.

Any interest earned will be added to the Settlement Fund. The cost to administer the settlements as well as the Washington State Attorney General’s attorney fees and costs will come out of the
Settlement Fund.

A fixed portion of the Settlement Fund will be distributed to the state governmental entities that participated in the lawsuit. The remainder of the Settlement Fund will be used to pay individual and business consumers in Washington.

 The amount you or your business could expect to receive will vary depending on the product(s) purchased, up to a maximum of $20 per CRT computer monitor and $6 per CRT television.

However, your recovery could be a smaller amount than the maximum because there is a limited amount of money in the Settlement Fund. The amount paid per product and the number of claims allowed per consumer will depend on the number of claims submitted. Depending on the number of claims submitted, it is also possible that all or a portion of the fund will be distributed to charities, governmental entities, or other beneficiaries.

How can I get a payment?

If you want to participate in the settlements, you must complete and submit a Claim Form. We urge you to submit a Claim Form online by clicking here. If you do not file online, you can file a paper Claim Form by mail. A copy of the Claim Form is available for download here.

You can also obtain a copy by calling, toll-free, 1-800-332-9084. If you choose to submit your claim online, you must do so on or before June 17, 2019. If you choose to submit a Claim Form by mail, it must be postmarked by June 17, 2019, and mailed to:

Washington CRT Claims

c/o A.B. Data, Ltd.

P.O. Box 173069

Milwaukee, WI 53217

Note: You may see third-party websites offering claims management services in exchange for a fee. Those websites are not authorized by the Washington State Attorney General and are not an official part of the claims administration process. You do not need to pay a fee to participate in this settlement.

More Information

For more details regarding the settlements, please reference the Settlements and Consent Decrees filed in the case under the “Court Documents” link on the left.  You may also contact the A.B. Data, the claims administrator hired by the Washington State Attorney General, for further information regarding this Settlement as follows:

Please be aware that your correspondence will become a “public record” and that public records are subject to disclosure in response to requests under state law.