Northbrook Park District enters class-action suit

The Northbrook Park District has entered a class-action lawsuit against various contractors accused in a bid-rigging and price-fixing scheme.

In a special board meeting of the Board of Park Commissioners in December, commissioners approved a contingent fee arrangement with Freed Kanner London & Millen LLC and The Bruno Law Firm LLC to represent the park district in commercial flooring products and services litigation.

Ed Dalton, director of Parks and Properties for the Northbrook Park District, said the price fixing was thought to have run from 2009-17, though park district properties were involved from 2013-16.

The flooring during that time was done in phases near the ice rinks at the Northbrook Sports Center by several flooring contractors, Dalton said.

The amount of the loss and the number of contractors has yet to be fully divulged, though the authorization will allow economists to identify what products should have cost rather than what was charged, Dalton said.

He noted that Northbrook Park District representation Robbins Schwartz said the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating "conspirators who unlawfully suppressed and eliminated competition in the commercial flooring market."

Messages requesting information concerning the suit were not returned.

"The board just thought it was important that we look out for the taxpayers' dollars and if we can recoup some of those dollars because somebody fraudulently took advantage of the Park District and other companies, then we feel it's important to take all the measures we can to get those funds back," Dalton said.