DiCello Levitt and Co-Counsel Uncover Corporate Landlords’ Alleged Price-Fixing Scheme To Inflate Housing Costs

DiCello Levitt, alongside Hausfeld LLP, serves as Plaintiffs’ Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel in an antitrust class action aimed at dismantling an alleged price-fixing scheme that artificially inflated lot rents across the United States. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, this litigation targets nine manufactured home community management companies and one manufactured home market data provider for conspiring to unlawfully manipulate rental prices using Datacomp’s Appraisal Systems Inc’s JLT Market Reports.

The plaintiffs allege that the defendants used Datacomp’s software to exchange competitive rental data and set artificially high lot rents, depriving residents of fair market pricing. The reports enabled corporate landlords to impose steep and synchronized rent increases, particularly impacting vulnerable residents who rely on manufactured homes as an affordable housing option. Between 2019 and 2021, manufactured home lot rents increased by an alarming 9.1% per year, far outpacing inflation and rental price growth for other housing types. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to end these practices and compensatory damages for the harm caused by this anticompetitive conduct.

The case is In re Manufactured Home Lot Rents Antitrust Litigation. The DiCello Levitt litigation team includes Adam Levitt, Greg Asciolla, Geralyn Trujillo, Jonathan Crevier, and John Tangren.

If you are a class member, click here for more information about this case.