Class-Action Suit Accuses 7 HVAC Giants of Post-2020 Price-Fixing Scheme

A proposed class-action filed March 20, 2026 in the Eastern District of Michigan accuses seven of the country's largest HVAC manufacturers of running a post-pandemic price-fixing conspiracy. The complaint in Berg v. Robert Bosch names Bosch, Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Daikin, Rheem, and AAON. Those seven companies together account for roughly 90% of U.S. residential HVAC sales.

The case turns on what plaintiffs call a coordinated pattern of above-cost price hikes starting in January 2020. Counsel argues the defendants used COVID supply disruptions, the 2023 SEER2 transition, and the AIM Act HFC phasedown as cover for parallel pricing decisions that would otherwise trigger antitrust scrutiny. The filing references trade press coverage, including ACHR News reporting, as an alleged signaling channel between competitors.

None of this has been adjudicated. The defendants have not yet filed answers.

What the Complaint Claims

The plaintiffs say residential-grade split systems, heat pumps, and furnaces rose in price well beyond input cost inflation through 2022 and 2023, then stayed elevated even after steel, copper, and freight normalized. Per the filing, list-price increases landed within days of each other across the seven OEMs on multiple occasions. That kind of timing, antitrust lawyers will tell you, is the hardest thing for a defense team to explain without a paper trail.

The complaint also zeros in on the A2L transition. Plaintiffs argue that manufacturers used the move from R-410A to R-32 and R-454B to introduce new SKUs at new price points rather than adjust existing ones, which they say softened the optics of back-to-back double-digit increases. It's a creative theory, and it will live or die on discovery.

What It Means for Contractors

For California contractors, the immediate practical takeaway is narrow. Equipment prices are what they are. But the filing does open a door to potential indirect-purchaser claims in states that allow them, California included. Trade groups are watching closely.

There's also a reputational dimension. HARDI distributors and ACCA contractors have spent two years telling customers that higher bids reflect refrigerant rules, tariffs, and supply chain, not margin. A successful prosecution here would complicate that story. See our earlier coverage of how tariffs have pushed repair demand higher and the 2026 EPA refrigerant transition update.

Expect a motion-to-dismiss fight in the fall. If the case survives that, discovery will drag into 2027. Contractors watching this case should save their invoices.