Beta
Today
Regulatory & Legal 22 Sep 2026

US judge lets containerboard price-fixing class action proceed against ten producers

US District Judge Mary M. Rowland denied on 4 September 2026 the joint motion to dismiss and the separate motions by Packaging Corporation of America and Pratt Industries in the containerboard price-fixing class action brought in July 2025 by Artuso Pastry in the Northern District of Illinois. The 49-page decision found six of seven alleged lockstep or near-lockstep price increases sufficient to show parallel conduct, lifting the stay on discovery. Defendants must answer by 29 September 2026 and file a joint status report with discovery dates the following week.

Why this mattersThe case moves to discovery, exposing containerboard producers to damages claims and scrutiny of a market the plaintiff says five players now control with at least 85% share.

  • Judge Mary M. Rowland denied the joint and the individual dismissal motions in a 49-page decision on 4 September 2026 in the Northern District of Illinois.
  • Defendants must answer the complaint by 29 September 2026 and file a joint status report with discovery dates the following week.
  • The case, Artuso Pastry Foods Corp. v. Packaging Corp. of America et al, was filed in July 2025 and alleges seven rounds of parallel price increases from November 2020 raising prices by about 30%.
  • The court found six of the seven alleged coordinated increases plausible, including a USD 50-per-ton rise implemented on the same day after two and a half years without an industry increase.
  • Ten defendants remain, including PCA, Pratt Industries, International Paper, Georgia-Pacific, Greif, Smurfit Kappa, WestRock and three Cascades entities.
  • Graphic Packaging International and Smurfit Westrock were dismissed late last year, cutting defendants to 10 from 12; the court gave no reasons.
International Paper Smurfit Westrock Packaging Corporation of America Graphic Packaging Greif Pratt Industries Georgia-Pacific Cascades
Sources globalpapermoney.com jdsupra.com
Relevant to you?

Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-09-23 · Edited before publication: Grounding and attribution sound. Source says five players control 'at least 85%' of the North American market; 'over 85%' overstates it. Corrected why-it-matters only.
  • 2026-09-23 · Edited before publication: Source does not describe Artuso Pastry as a bakery company; that descriptor is removed. Summary also tightened to state the grounded basis of the ruling (six lockstep or near-lockstep price increases) and that the court gave no reasons for the earlier dismissals. Attribution, dates and the 49-page decision check out against the excerpt.
  • 2026-09-24 · Update: Further detail confirms the case is captioned Artuso Pastry Foods Corp. v. Packaging Corp. of America et al, with plaintiffs alleging seven rounds of coordinated price rises since November 2020 totalling about 30%, six of which Judge Rowland found plausible.
  • 2026-09-28 · Edited before publication: Headline names only PCA although the ruling covers ten defendants and PCA and Pratt filed the individual motions; broadened. Ten key facts exceeds the six-bullet limit and the ruling date (4 September 2026, Northern District of Illinois) was buried. Facts themselves are grounded; consolidated and reordered so the ruling and the discovery timetable lead.