Espar Inc., a seller of parking heaters for trucks, participated in a price-fixing scheme and defrauded consumers. If you bought a truck heater, coolant heater, or air heater, you may be entitled to a refund.
What Are Parking Heaters?
Parking heaters are battery-powered devices that can heat the interior or the engine of a truck when it is cold outside, but the driver does not want to idle the engine. It’s designed to save fuel.
What is the problem?
In March 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Espar Inc. will plead guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to set the prices of parking heaters between October 1, 2007 and December 31, 2012.
Prosecutors accused Espar and co-conspirators of engaging in a price-fixing scheme that involved discussing heater prices, setting a price floor for heater kits, coordinating the timing and amount of price increases, carrying out the agreement, and enforcing adherence.
Espar is charged with violating the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum penalty of a $100 million criminal fine. The anti-monopoly and anti-trust law dates back to the 1890s and was designed to prevent agreements that restrict competition in the marketplace.
Did You Buy An Espar Parking Heater?
You may be the victim of consumer fraud. Our attorneys will investigate your case for free and let you know if you are entitled to a refund or other compensation.
Contact us if you bought any of these products:
- Espar Truck Heater
- Espar Parking Heater
- Airtronic Air Heater
- Hydronic Coolant Heater
Overview
Espar Products Inc. sells a wide range of heaters for commercial vehicles. These products (PDF) are used to pre-heat the interior cabin of the vehicle or pre-heat the engine. They operate independent of the vehicles engine and temperature regulation system, which saves money because it uses a fraction of the electricity and fuel consumed while idling.
Airtronic Air Heater
The Airtronic Air Heater is designed to heat air in the interior compartment of a commercial vehicle. It works like a small forced-air furnace, heating and pushing air into the cab through dedicated vents.
Hydronic Coolant Heater
The Hydronic Coolant Heater is used to pre-heat the engine on a commercial vehicle. It mixes air from the environment with fuel from the tank, ignites it in a combustion chamber. The heat exchanger transfers the heat energy to the vehicle’s own coolant system, which circulates and pre-heats the engine.
Class Action Lawsuit Filed in New York
In March 2015, the first class action lawsuit (PDF) against Espar was filed in New York federal court by Raccoon Valley Transport, Inc. The plaintiff is a resident of Illinois who purchased a parking heater between October 1, 2007 and December 31, 2012.
Espar Heater Class Action Lawsuit
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm. We are currently investigating a class action lawsuit against Espar Inc. and its co-conspirators for price-fixing heaters for trucks and commercial vehicles.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
