The lawsuits allege that manufacturers of PVC pipe, conduit, and fittings conspired to fix, raise, maintain and stabilize prices. Central to the plaintiffs' allegations is Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), which publishes PetroChem Wire PVC & Pipe Weekly. Plaintiffs allege manufacturers exchanged competitively sensitive pricing information through OPIS and direct communications.

An amended complaint filed on August 18, 2025 also identifies six distributors as alleged co-conspirators: Core & Main, Ferguson Enterprises, Fortiline Waterworks, Hajoca Corp., Porter Pipe & Supply, and United Pipe & Steel.

The distributors are not currently defendants in the litigation, and the allegations against them have not been proven.

Initial Lawsuit

The litigation traces back to class actions filed in 2024 alleging violations of federal antitrust law related to the manufacture and sale of PVC pipe and conduit products.

According to the plaintiffs' amended complaint, OPIS collected information from market participants and published pricing and market information for PVC pipe and fittings. Plaintiffs allege that the information exchanged included both current and future prices, discounts, transactions and planned price increases.

The civil litigation coincides with a separate federal investigation. Otter Tail disclosed that it received a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division in August 2024 seeking documents related to the manufacturing, sale and pricing of PVC pipe. Atkore disclosed receiving a grand jury subpoena in February 2025.

The existence of the investigation does not establish that antitrust laws were violated.

Lawsuit Expands to Distributors

The August 18 amended complaint brought greater attention to the distribution side of the PVC market.

According to the amended complaint, plaintiffs allege that the six distributors control more than 70% of direct PVC Pipe Systems purchases in the United States. The complaint alleges that the distributors supplied information to PVC & Pipe Weekly and used information from the publication to make pricing and inventory decisions.

Plaintiffs also contend that distributors benefited from elevated PVC prices because declining prices could reduce the value of inventory purchased at higher prices. Those claims represent the plaintiffs' allegations, and have not been established by the court.

According to Modern Distribution Management (MDM) per court filings and customer disclosures, several defendants have now reached proposed settlements while denying wrongdoing. Settlements involving Atkore, Westlake, Otter Tail and its subsidiaries, Pipelife Jet Stream, and OPIS total approximately $415.4 million across various purchaser groups. Some remain subject to final court approval.

The six distributors are expressly excluded from certain settlement classes because of their designation as alleged co-conspirators.

As of September 2026, the six distributors remain identified by plaintiffs as alleged co-conspirators and have not been named as defendants.

With civil litigation continuing, settlements progressing and a federal antitrust investigation still pending, additional developments could further clarify the roles of manufacturers, distributors, and pricing-information providers in the PVC market.