New Settlement

A national settlement totaling $7.6 million has been reached with Sharp Corporation (“Sharp”).  The Sharp settlement has been approved by the Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec courts.  The settlement releases settlement class members’ claims against Sharp, as well as Sharp Electronics Corporation and Sharp Electronics of Canada Ltd.

The Sharp settlement funds have been distributed to eligible settlement class members.  For more information about how the settlement funds were distributed, please review the third distribution protocol, available here. Cheques were issued to eligible class members in August 2021.

The class action is now resolved in its entirety.

Previous Settlements

Settlements, totaling approximately CDN$75 million have been reached with the following defendants:

• Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd. ($2,023,000)
• Imaging Devices Corporation (formerly known as Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation) ($1,200,000)
• Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. ($21,250,000)
• Innolux Corporation (successor to Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corporation) ($10,000,000)
• Japan Display Inc. (successor to Hitachi Displays, Ltd.) on its behalf and on behalf of Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi Canada, Ltd., Hitachi America Ltd., Hitachi Electronics Devices (USA) Inc. ($3,150,000)
• Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd. (formerly known as Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd. and subsequently known as Japan Display Central Inc. and now part of Japan Display Inc.), Toshiba America Inc. (incorrectly named as Toshiba America Corporation), and Toshiba of Canada Limited (collectively “Toshiba”) (USD$2,150,000; CDN$2,765,330)
• AU Optronics Corporation and AU Optronics Corporation America (collectively “AU Optronics”) (USD$8,680,000; approximately CDN$11,409,286.60)
• LG Display Co., Ltd., LG Philips LCD Co., Ltd., LG Display America, Inc. and LGPhilips LCD America Inc. (collectively “LG”) (CDN$21,200,000)
• HannStar Display Corporation (“HannStar”) (CDN$2,050,000)

These settlements have been approved by the courts in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

The deadline for applying for money from these settlements has passed. The settlement funds have been distributed to approved claimants.

What is a class action?

A class action is a lawsuit that is brought by one or more persons on behalf of a larger group of people whose claims share common legal and/or factual issues. Class actions provide a cost-effective way for groups of people with common interests to pursue a legal claim.

What does “certification” mean?

Certification is the motion where the court determines whether the action can properly be pursued as a class action. The court will consider factors such as whether the claims of the class members raise common legal and/or factual issues and whether a class action is the preferable method of pursuing the claims (as opposed to other methods, such as individual actions).

Do I have to pay anything to participate in the class action?

Class action lawyers are usually paid on a contingency basis. This means that class counsel are only paid if successful. Class counsel are paid a percentage of any settlement or court award. Class counsel fees are subject to court approval.

Who is affected by the LCD class action?

You are affected by the class action and are a “member” of the class if you are a person in Canada who between January 1998 and December 2006 purchased LCD Panel and/or LCD Products directly from a defendant or any entity affiliated with a defendant, a named original equipment manufacturer or a named distributor in Canada. The Plaintiff has brought a motion to amend the class definition to include all persons in Canada who purchased LCD Panels and/or LCD Products between January 1998 and December 2006. The settlements relate to all persons in Canada who purchased LCD Panels and/or LCD Products between January 1998 and December 2006.

Can I join the class action?

There are no steps required to “join” the class action. Unless you opted-out (excluded yourself from the class action), assuming you fall within the scope of the class definition, you are automatically included in the class action.

What should I do to protect my rights?

To protect your rights, you should:

1. Keep records of any purchases of LCD Panels, computer monitors containing LCD panels, notebook computers and televisions containing LCD Panels between January 1998 and September 2006.
2. Register to receive updates on this case by filling out the form below.

I still have a question. Who should I contact?

If you have any other questions, please complete the contact form below. If you reside in Québec, please reach out to Bouchard + Avocats Inc. at [email protected].

New Settlement:

• Notice of Proposed Settlement and Distribution Protocol (English) (French)
• Proposed Distribution Protocol - Third Distribution
• Sharp Settlement Agreement

Previous Settlements:

Second Distribution:

• Distribution Protocol - Second Distribution
• Notice of Settlement Approval and Claims Process
• Avis d’Approbation des Règlements et du Processus de Réclamation

First Distribution:

• Distribution Protocol - First Distribution
• Notice of Settlement Approval and Claims Process
• Avis d’Approbation des Règlements et du Processus de Réclamation

Settlement Agreements:

• Chunghwa Settlement Agreement
• Epson Settlement Agreement
• Samsung Settlement Agreement
• Innolux Settlement Agreement
• Hitachi Settlement Agreement
• Toshiba Settlement Agreement
• AU Optronics Settlement Agreement
• LG Settlement Agreement
• HannStar Settlement Agreement

Contested Litigation:

• Certification Reasons, dated May 26, 2011
• Divisional Court Certification Reasons, December 24, 2015
• Motion to Amend Class Definition Reasons, dated July 29, 2016
• Motion to Amend Class Definition Leave to Appeal Reasons, dated June 7, 2017