Aguilar et al. v. Atlantic Richfield Corporation et al.

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The defendants, major gasoline refiners in California, had been accused of fixing prices, restricting capacity, and limiting production when California converted to cleaner-burning California Air Resources Board (CARB) gasoline. Shell Oil’s counsel retained Dr. Michael Keeley, a senior vice president of Cornerstone Research, to evaluate plaintiffs’ collusion theory in the underlying litigation. His research showed that Shell’s pricing, capacity, and production decisions were consistent with competition and contradicted plaintiffs’ claims of collusion. The California Supreme Court affirmed in a 7–0 vote the California Court of Appeal’s judgment in this case, awarding all defendants summary judgment.

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Michael C. Keeley

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