Who is a Class Member
The Parking Heater Direct Purchaser class action settlements includes “all persons or entities that purchased aftermarket Parking Heaters in the United States, its territories or possessions, directly from Webasto or Espar, at any time during the period from and including October 1, 2007 up to and including December 31, 2012.”
Under the settlement, “Parking Heaters” are defined as “parking heaters for commercial vehicles sold in the aftermarket, including the heaters themselves, accessories sold for use with the heaters, and parking heater kits containing heaters and selected accessories.” They include two primary types:
(1) air heaters, which work by heating interior or outside air drawn into the heater unit; and
(2) water or “coolant” heaters, which are integrated into the engine coolant circuit and heat the engine as well as the interior compartment.
If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other class action settlements you may be eligible for.
Settlement Amount
- $15,000,000.00 (combined)
Estimated Award
- TBD
Settlement payment amounts to eligible Class Members will be calculated based on available records of Parking Heater sales provided by Webasto and Espar. You can view your estimated payout by entering it your unique ID number from your settlement notice here.
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Proof of Purchase
- N/A
Claim Form
- Class Members do not need to file a claim to receive a payment.
Parking Heater Direct Purchaser Settlement Notes
- In re: Parking Heaters Antitrust Litigation
- Case No. 1:15-mc-00940-DLI-JO
- Pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
This multi-district litigation (consolidated class action lawsuits) was brought on behalf on direct purchasers of aftermarket Espar or Webasto parking heaters used in commercial vehicles.
Operators of commercial vehicles are sometimes forced to idle their vehicles in order to stay warm during rest breaks and other stops, resulting in thousands of idling hours per year. Idling burns hundreds of millions of gallons of fuel and releases hundreds of thousands of tons of dangerous gases into the atmosphere each year. These gases pose a variety of health risks and are damaging to the environment. And according to the United States Department of Energy, $1 billion is spent each year on idling-related engine repairs. To combat pollution and healthcare costs from idling, at least 31 states and dozens of municipalities have enacted anti-idling laws forcing commercial vehicle operators to find a greener solution to heat their vehicle cabins. Parking Heaters offer a solution to this problem.
Parking heaters sold by Espar and Webasto dominate the market. For example, the New York State Department of Transportation lists Webasto and Espar as the only “approved” suppliers of parking heaters. However, the lawsuit contends that “[d]efendants’ agreement to inflate, fix, raise, maintain or artificially stabilize prices of Parking Heaters.”
As a result of this alleged price-fixing scheme, direct purchasers were forced to pay inflated prices for commercial parking heaters.
The defendants deny all claims. Complete details about the case and settlement are provided on the Parking Heater Direct Purchaser settlement website.
Class members who wish to object to or exclude themselves from the Parking Heater Direct Purchaser settlement must do so by December 1, 2018. Class members who wish to participate in the settlement do not need to do anything.
Important Dates
- N/A: Claim Form Deadline
- 12/1/18: Objection or Exclusion Deadline
- 1/9/19: Final Hearing at 9:30 am ET* (class members do not need to attend this hearing in order to receive a slice of the settlement pie).
*Settlement Class Members who wish to speak at the hearing should check the settlement website at www.DirectParkingHeaterSettlement.com to confirm that the date or time of the Hearing has not been changed.
Contact Information
- Mail: Parking Heaters Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 3560, Portland, OR 97208-3560
- Phone: 1-888-396-9582
Class Counsel
Settlement Website