A federal court has appointed a team at Burns Charest, led by partner Christopher J. Cormier, as co-lead counsel in a proposed federal class action against a group of manufacturers of cedar shakes and shingles and the industry’s trade association.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Western District of Washington, alleges that the companies conspired to artificially inflate the price of Certi-Label cedar shakes and shingles sold to indirect reseller purchasers, such as contractors, construction companies and roofers, in the U.S. The litigation includes detailed evidence of improper pricing discussions among the defendants as well as detailed economic analysis showing that the price of the materials has increased substantially since early 2011.

The lawsuit also claims that the companies conspired with the trade association, the Washington-based Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau, to muscle out upstart and discount competitors from the market, thus preserving the defendants’ ability to charge artificially high prices for their products.

The case is Fraser Construction Company et al v. Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau et al.

To read the filing click here.