DOJ subpoenas International Paper and rivals over containerboard pricing
The US Department of Justice has issued grand jury subpoenas to International Paper, Smurfit Westrock and Packaging Corporation of America as part of an antitrust investigation into containerboard pricing, run out of the Northern District of Illinois. The companies disclosed the subpoenas, issued in September 2026, in SEC filings in the first week of November 2026 and say they are cooperating; no charges have been announced. The probe follows a private class action alleging coordinated price increases, which a federal judge allowed to proceed to discovery on 4 September 2026.
Why this mattersA grand jury antitrust probe of three major North American containerboard producers adds legal exposure while 2026 containerboard prices run about 20% above year-earlier levels.
- DOJ grand jury subpoenas issued in September 2026 to Smurfit Westrock, International Paper and Packaging Corporation of America
- Investigation is based in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Companies disclosed the subpoenas in SEC quarterly filings in the first week of November 2026
- 2026 containerboard prices are running roughly 20% above the same point in 2025 after three announced increases
- A separate private class action filed in July 2025 alleges near-lockstep price increases since November 2020
- Judge Mary M. Rowland denied motions to dismiss the class action on 4 September 2026, allowing discovery to proceed