A sixth federal antitrust lawsuit alleging coordinated price-fixing by major HVAC equipment manufacturers was filed on May 11, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The plaintiff is Husky Heating & Cooling, an HVAC contracting company in Conway, Arkansas — filing on behalf of itself and a proposed class of direct purchasers of HVAC equipment across the United States. The case names more than 20 defendants, including Bosch, Trane Technologies, Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS), Carrier Global Corp., Daikin Comfort Technologies, Lennox International Inc., AAON Inc., and Rheem Manufacturing Co.
Husky's is the sixth such case filed within weeks — and it includes a motion to consolidate it with three earlier similar cases, plus any subsequently filed cases, into a single coordinated proceeding on behalf of direct purchasers. That consolidation motion is legally significant: if granted, it transforms a series of individual contractor complaints into a single massive class action against the manufacturers who collectively control more than 90 percent of the US HVAC equipment market.
What the Husky Lawsuit Actually Alleges
The Husky complaint alleges that since at least January 2020, the named defendants 'conspired to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the prices of HVAC Equipment throughout the United States' in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The complaint claims that prices increased by more than 50 percent during the alleged conspiracy period — a figure that exceeds even the 40 percent above-2020 benchmark that industry data has confirmed.
The lawsuit characterises the manufacturers' publicly stated justifications for price increases — supply chain disruption, COVID-19 impacts, raw material inflation — as 'pretextual explanations' for conduct that was actually coordinated. This is the key legal claim: that the simultaneous, similar-magnitude price increases from competing manufacturers were not independent business responses to the same cost pressures, but the result of communication and agreement between the companies.
The sixth HVAC price-fixing lawsuit in recent weeks, filed May 11, 2026 by Husky Heating & Cooling of Conway, Arkansas, names 20+ defendants including Bosch, Trane, Carrier, Daikin, Lennox, AAON, and Rheem — manufacturers that collectively control more than 90% of the US HVAC equipment market — and includes a motion to consolidate all related cases into a single class action on behalf of direct purchaser contractors.
The Two Alleged Mechanisms of Coordination
According to court documents from the earlier related lawsuits — specifically the Berg v. Robert Bosch LLC case filed March 20 and subsequent filings — plaintiffs allege the defendants used two specific mechanisms to facilitate and communicate their coordination:
• The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI): The plaintiffs allege that AHRI — the industry trade association — was used as a vehicle through which manufacturers shared non-public, confidential, and proprietary information about pricing intentions with each other. If proven, this would mean that the legitimate trade association framework was allegedly used for illegitimate purposes.
• ACHR News: In a specific and notable allegation, the More Lawsuits complaint claims that defendants 'used two mechanisms to support their price-fixing conspiracy: first, AHRI, and second, ACHR News.' The claim is that manufacturers used public announcements in ACHR News of price increases as a mechanism to signal their intentions to competitors and give coordinated increases a veneer of independent legitimacy. ACHR News, as a media organisation, is not a defendant in any of the lawsuits.
The ACHR News allegation specifically cites a January 2026 statement from Trane's CFO revealing that the company had 'reduced factory production days by one-third' with the assurance: 'I don't want anyone to think that pricing is coming down in that market.' Lennox's CFO allegedly responded publicly by confirming Lennox would follow suit. The complaint argues that in a competitive market, a manufacturer cutting production by a third would lose customers — and that simultaneous production cuts are explicable only if each company understood their competitors would hold the line.
The Growing Wave of Litigation
The six cases filed within weeks represent a rapidly accelerating litigation wave. The earlier cases include:
• Berg v. Robert Bosch LLC (March 20, 2026): The first major case, filed in the Eastern District of Michigan by plaintiff Alyssa Berg seeking to represent a class of individuals and businesses that purchased HVAC equipment from 2020 to present
• Reliable AC Services v. [OEMs] (approximately late March/early April 2026): Filed by a Florida contracting business alleging the defendants used AHRI to share confidential pricing information
• Air Tech Services v. [OEMs] (March 30, 2026): Filed by Richard Isom of Air Tech Services in Manatee County, Florida, seeking class action status
• Additional cases: Three additional filings prior to Husky, all named in the consolidation motion
• Husky Heating & Cooling v. [OEMs] (May 11, 2026): The sixth case, with the motion to consolidate all related proceedings
What Contractors Need to Understand
For HVAC contractors who have been absorbing equipment price increases since 2020 — spending significantly more per unit on the same equipment than before the alleged conspiracy period — the lawsuit is directly relevant:
• Potential class membership: Contractors who purchased covered HVAC equipment from the named defendants since January 2020 may be class members in any consolidated class action. If the case settles or results in a judgment, class members typically receive distributions.
• No immediate pricing relief: The litigation does not affect equipment prices during its pendency. Cases of this complexity take years to resolve — any pricing impact from a successful case would be in the form of damages and potentially injunctive relief, not immediate price reduction.
• Documentation value: Contractors who have documentation of equipment purchases, manufacturer price announcements, and any communications about pricing from distributors or manufacturers since 2020 may find that documentation relevant to class membership and damage calculation.
• Monitor consolidation status: The motion to consolidate the related cases will be decided in the Eastern District of Michigan. If granted, the consolidated case will be one of the most significant antitrust actions in US HVAC history.
The Defendants' Perspective
None of the named defendant manufacturers have commented specifically on the Husky filing. The earlier Berg v. Bosch case prompted no public response from defendants at the time of this reporting. In antitrust litigation, defendants typically deny the allegations and challenge both the factual and legal basis for the claims — a process that plays out over years of pre-trial proceedings before any trial.
The manufacturers' public statements about price increases — citing material cost inflation, supply chain disruption, and regulatory compliance costs — are the factual foundation of their likely defence: that the simultaneous increases reflected legitimate independent responses to the same cost environment, not coordination.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many HVAC price-fixing lawsuits have been filed?
At least six federal antitrust lawsuits alleging coordinated HVAC equipment price-fixing have been filed in the Eastern District of Michigan since March 2026. The most recent, Husky Heating & Cooling v. Bosch et al., was filed May 11, 2026 and includes a motion to consolidate all related cases into a single class action.
Who are the defendants in the HVAC price-fixing lawsuits?
The defendants named across the various cases include Bosch, Trane Technologies, Carrier Global, Daikin Comfort Technologies, Lennox International, AAON, Rheem Manufacturing, and Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS), plus subsidiaries. These companies collectively control more than 90% of the US HVAC equipment market.
Are HVAC contractors affected by the price-fixing lawsuits?
Contractors who purchased HVAC equipment from named defendants since January 2020 may be class members entitled to participate in any class action settlement or judgment. The litigation does not affect current equipment prices. Contractors should monitor developments and maintain records of equipment purchases since 2020.
What is the Berg v. Bosch lawsuit about?
Berg v. Robert Bosch LLC, filed March 20, 2026, was the first major HVAC price-fixing case in the current wave. It alleges defendants coordinated price increases since at least January 2020 in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, using AHRI and trade media as alleged coordination mechanisms.
