CHICAGO—In an order issued earlier today, Judge Franklin Valderrama, of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, appointed DiCello Levitt LLP and Hausfeld LLP to serve as Plaintiffs’ Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel on behalf of manufactured home residents across the United States.
In this antitrust class action lawsuit, Carla Hajek and Gregory Hammerlund v. Datacomp Appraisal Systems Inc., et al., Case No. 23-cv-06715 (N.D. Ill.), the plaintiffs allege that nine mobile home community management companies and one mobile home market data provider conspired to fix, raise, and artificially inflate mobile home lot rental prices at more than 150 locations across the United States. As a result, mobile home renters across the country suffered substantial financial losses, with some of them even facing the threat of eviction from their homes.
The Court also appointed DiCello Levitt Partner Brian Hogan as Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel.
“This appointment only underscores the significance of this case. Nearly one-third of the 10.3 million adults living in mobile homes across the United States are over the age of 60, with a median annual household income of approximately $35,000. The defendants systematically overcharged some of the most vulnerable members of our society for what was meant to be affordable housing. At the same time, home lot rental prices were inflated at a staggering rate of 9.1% per year between 2019 and 2021,” said Greg Asciolla, DiCello Levitt Partner and Antitrust and Competition Practice Group Chair.
This lawsuit, of nationwide significance, is the first of its kind in the United States.
“We look forward to bringing this case to trial on behalf of thousands of class members across the United States who have been taken advantage of by greedy corporate executives lining their pockets on the backs of lower-income Americans,” Asciolla added.
About DiCello Levitt
At DiCello Levitt, we’re dedicated to achieving justice for our clients through class action, business-to-business, public client, whistleblower, personal injury, civil and human rights, and mass tort litigation. Our lawyers are highly respected for their ability to litigate and win cases—whether by trial, settlement, or otherwise—for people who have suffered harm, global corporations that have sustained significant economic losses, and public clients seeking to protect their citizens’ rights and interests. Every day, we put our reputations—and our capital—on the line for our clients.
DiCello Levitt has achieved top recognition as Plaintiffs Firm of the Year and Trial Innovation Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal, in addition to its top-tier Chambers and Benchmark ratings. The New York Law Journal also recently recognized DiCello Levitt as a Distinguished Leader in trial innovation. For more information about the firm, including recent trial victories and case resolutions, please visit www.dicellolevitt.com.
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Christine Schiffner: (703) 862-5202 or cschiffner@dicellolevitt.com