ChannelNewsAsia: NEW YORK: Gas stations sue oil companies, claiming price-fixing: "Shell and Texaco met and entered into an agreement to raise, fix, peg and stabilize the price of motor fuel sold to Shell and Texaco dealers," the suit claimed.: “The suit seeks class action status, which would allow tens of thousands of other retailers to join in, they said. On June 1, a federal court in California allowed a similar case against the companies.” (ShellNews.net – Posted 5 Nov 04)

Posted: 05 November 2004

The New York gas station owners sought class-action status in their suit against Shell, ChevronTexaco and Saudi Refining, part of Aramco.

"Shell and Texaco met and entered into an agreement to raise, fix, peg and stabilize the price of motor fuel sold to Shell and Texaco dealers," the suit claimed.

The suit charges that Shell and Texaco created two joint ventures, Equilon Enterprises and Motiva Enterprises, as a guise to overcharge the stations for gasoline.

The four gas station owners said they brought the case on behalf of US dealers of the Shell and Texaco brand franchises who purchased fuel from Equilon and Motiva between July 1, 1998 and February 28, 2002.

The suit seeks class action status, which would allow tens of thousands of other retailers to join in, they said.

On June 1, a federal court in California allowed a similar case against the companies. That ruling came the same day as the US Government Accountability Office reported a study indicating the two joint ventures may have led to higher gas prices in some US cities.

The four station owners who brought the suit are: the Bedford Village Service Station in Westchester County outside New York City, T and C Service Station on Long Island, the Fort Schuyler Quick Stop and Ralph's Food Mart, both in New York City.

- AFP

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