A federal court has preliminarily approved a class action lawsuit settlement in In re Household Goods Movers Antitrust Litigation. If you purchased moving services for household goods from American Moving & Storage, Atlas Van Lines, Mayflower Transit, United Van Lines or Wheaton Van Lines between 2003 and 2007, you may be entitled to benefits if the class action settlement is granted final approval.

The Household Goods Movers Antitrust class action lawsuit concerns the assessment of fuel surcharges on certain interstate shipments of household goods. Plaintiffs in the case allege that the defendants set an inflated price for fuel surcharges charged to shippers for those shipments under a tariff named Tariff 400N. The defendants in the class action lawsuit -- American Moving & Storage, Atlas Van Lines, Mayflower Transit, United Van Lines or Wheaton Van Lines -- deny any wrongdoing but have agreed to a $40 million class action settlement resolve the litigation.

You are a member of the Household Goods Movers Antitrust settlement class if you directly purchased household goods moving services for interstate shipments(s) from March 19, 2003 through December 31, 2007 under Tariff 400N or contracts referencing or incorporating Item 16 of Tariff 400N, and you paid a fuel charge directly to any household goods motor carrier for such shipment.

The amount of money you’re eligible to receive from the class action settlement will depend on a variety of factors to be calculated by the Settlement Administrator, but you will receive a per-shipment payment from the settlement fund based on the amount of that fund divided by the number of Eligible Individual Shipments. In order to receive any money from the Household Goods Movers Antitrust settlement, you must submit a valid proof of claim postmarked no later than February 3, 2011. This is the same deadline to opt-out of the settlement. You have until January 19, 2011 to object to it.

If you received a Notice of Settlement in the case In re DJK Residential LLC, you can still participate in In re Household Goods Movers Antitrust Litigation. The DJK Residential settlement is separate from the settlement of this lawsuit.

You are eligible to receive payment from the DJK settlement if: (1) you purchased household goods moving services for interstate shipments from Allied Van Lines, Atlas Van Lines, Atlas World Group, Bekins Van Lines, Mayflower Transit, North American Van Lines, Sirva, Sirva Worldwide, UniGroup, United Van Lines, Wheaton Van Lines or any predecessor, subsidiary, affiliate or agent of the above, at any time during the period from March 19, 2003 to March 19, 2007 and you did not previously opt out of the DJK settlement class. Both the DJK settlement and Household Goods settlement will use the same proof of claim form, available at www.HouseholdGoodsAntitrustSettlement.com.