7 Major AC Brands Just Got Hit with a Federal Antitrust Lawsuit for Allegedly Fixing Prices
If you have replaced an air conditioner anywhere in South Florida in the last few years (or have recently tried to purchase one), you already know the story. Prices went up. A lot. Whether in South Florida or any other US state, homeowners and condo boards have been writing bigger checks every year, and the answer has always been the same: COVID, supply chains, tariffs, new refrigerants.
A lawsuit filed in March 2026 alleges those explanations do not account for the full picture. The complaint accuses the seven biggest HVAC manufacturers in the country of secretly working together to drive prices up since 2020. Three more lawsuits have been filed since.
Here is the plain-English version of what is going on…
What Does the HVAC Price-Fixing Lawsuit Say?
The case is called Berg v. Robert Bosch, LLC. It was filed in federal court in Michigan on March 20, 2026. The plaintiff is suing on behalf of every person and business in the US who bought HVAC or AC equipment from one of the seven named brands between January 2020 and now.
The accusation is simple: these companies coordinated their price increases instead of competing.
The numbers in the complaint help explain why people are paying attention. From January 2020 to early 2026, HVAC equipment prices went up about 53.5%. Over the same period, regular consumer prices went up about 29.7%, and major appliances went up about 30.8%. So AC and HVAC equipment didn’t just go up with inflation. It went up almost twice as fast.
Who Is Actually Bringing the Lawsuit?
The named plaintiff is Alyssa Berg, an individual consumer from Minnesota who bought HVAC equipment for her home. She is not a corporation or a competing manufacturer. She is one homeowner suing on behalf of every person and business in the country who bought equipment from these seven brands since January 2020. That’s why the case is called Berg v. Robert Bosch, LLC.
The legal weight behind her, though, is significant. The case is being led by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, one of the most experienced plaintiffs’ antitrust law firms in the country. They have run successful price-fixing cases against manufacturers of batteries, computer memory, e-books, and commercially sold chicken, beef, and pork. Their co-counsel is Lockridge Grindal Nauen, a respected Minnesota-based firm with its own deep antitrust track record.
This structure is typical for major antitrust class actions. The law firms identify what they believe is a price-fixing pattern, find an individual purchaser willing to serve as the class representative, and then fund the entire case themselves on a contingency basis. These cases can cost millions to litigate, so the firms only take them when they believe the evidence is strong enough to win or settle. The fact that three additional lawsuits have since been filed, brought by HVAC contractors in Florida, North Dakota, and New York, suggests other experienced firms are seeing the same pattern and seeing the same pattern and pursuing similar claims.
Which AC and HVAC Brands Are Named in the Lawsuit?
Seven manufacturers. Together they make over 90% of the HVAC and AC equipment installed in the United States.
- Bosch
- Carrier (also Bryant, Payne, Heil, Tempstar, Comfortmaker)
- Trane (also American Standard, Mitsubishi Electric Trane, Ameristar)
- Lennox (also Allied Air, Armstrong Air, AirEase, Ducane)
- Daikin (also Goodman, Amana)
- Rheem (also Ruud)
- AAON
How Did These HVAC Manufacturers Allegedly Coordinate Pricing?
The lawsuit says they used two industry channels to send each other signals without ever putting anything in writing.
The trade group. All seven companies belong to AHRI (the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute). To get access to AHRI’s market data, you have to share your own data back. The lawsuit says this gave every manufacturer a real-time view of what their competitors were shipping and selling.
The trade publication. Manufacturers announced price increases in a magazine called ACHR News. The lawsuit says these were not normal press releases. They published the exact percentage of the increase, the exact products affected, and the exact effective date, usually weeks ahead of time. In a real competitive market, telling your competitors what you are about to charge weeks in advance would let them undercut you. Instead, the other manufacturers consistently matched the increases within days.
The lawsuit also points to production cuts. When demand softened in 2025, the manufacturers cut production instead of cutting prices. A Trane executive said publicly in early 2026 that they had cut factory production by a third, and added that he did not want anyone thinking prices were coming down. Lennox confirmed within days they would do the same.
A Lennox executive quoted in the complaint said it directly: the industry has been disciplined for years, will keep raising prices to protect margins, and has figured out that cutting prices does not actually win market share.
What About COVID, Tariffs, and the New Refrigerants?
Those were real cost pressures. The lawsuit doesn’t deny that. It argues those reasons were used as cover for HVAC price increases that went well beyond what costs actually justified.
Here’s the part that stands out. Raw material costs, like steel, copper, and aluminum, spiked in 2021 and 2022 but have come back down close to where they were before COVID (not accounting for recent tariffs, of course). HVAC equipment prices kept climbing anyway. By 2025, equipment was about 68% more expensive than in 2019, while raw material costs were back near baseline. Meanwhile, Lennox, Carrier, Daikin, Trane, and AAON all reported near-record profits.
How Many Lawsuits Have Been Filed So Far?
Since the original case was filed, three more federal lawsuits have been filed against the same manufacturers. One is from a Florida HVAC contractor, one from North Dakota, and one from New York. The Florida case also names Watsco, the largest HVAC distributor in the country, as an alleged co-conspirator.
What started as one consumer case is becoming a much bigger fight. Trane and Rheem have publicly denied the allegations. Daikin says it will review the claims. Bosch declined to comment. Carrier and Lennox have not said much publicly. Nothing has been proven in court yet.
What Should South Florida Homeowners Do Right Now?
If you replaced an AC, heat pump, or furnace anywhere in Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach County since January 2020, here is what we would tell you to do right now.
Save your paperwork. Hold onto installation invoices, manufacturer warranty registrations, and any financing documents. If a settlement happens later, you will likely need proof of purchase showing the brand, model, date, and amount.
That’s it for now. Antitrust cases like this take years. There is nothing to file at this stage. If a settlement is reached, a claims administrator will eventually publish instructions for affected purchasers.
Will AC and HVAC Prices Come Down?
Probably not soon. Even if the lawsuits succeed, settlements take years. Tariffs and the ongoing transition to R-454B refrigerant continue to push real costs up regardless of how this case plays out. The likelier outcome, according to industry analysts, is that future price increases get more cautious as manufacturers worry about how their public statements will be read.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which HVAC and AC brands are named in the lawsuit?
Seven manufacturers: Bosch, Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Daikin, Rheem, and AAON. Many sub-brands are included too, like American Standard, Goodman, Amana, Bryant, Payne, Heil, and Tempstar. Together these companies make more than 90% of the HVAC equipment installed in the United States, including most of the AC systems running across South Florida homes and buildings.
Do I qualify if I bought an AC in South Florida?
Possibly. The proposed class includes anyone in the United States who bought HVAC or AC equipment from one of the seven brands between January 2020 and now. That covers homeowners, condo associations, and commercial property owners across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties. The court has not yet officially certified the class.
What should I do right now if I bought HVAC equipment recently?
Hold onto your paperwork. Keep installation invoices, warranty registrations, and financing documents that show the brand, model, date, and amount paid. There is nothing to file at this stage. If a settlement is eventually reached, instructions will be published for how affected purchasers can submit claims.
How much have AC and HVAC prices actually gone up?
According to the lawsuit, HVAC equipment prices rose about 53.5% from January 2020 through early 2026. By comparison, regular consumer prices rose about 29.7% and other major appliances rose about 30.8%. The complaint estimates an 8% overcharge above what prices would have been in a competitive market, totaling billions of dollars across affected purchasers.
Have the manufacturers admitted anything?
No. Trane and Rheem publicly deny the claims and say they will defend themselves. Daikin says it will review the allegations. Bosch declined to comment. Carrier and Lennox have not responded publicly in detail. These are allegations only. The cases are early, and no court has ruled that any manufacturer engaged in price-fixing.
What This Means for Our Customers
We have been a family-owned, independent South Florida home services company for 55 years. We are not owned by a private equity firm, and we are not locked into pushing any one manufacturer. We install equipment from across the major brands because that is what serves our customers best.
That is how we have always run this business, and it counts for even more in a moment like this one. If you have questions about AC equipment you bought since 2020, give us a call or text at 954-900-6767.
We will keep watching how this plays out and update this post as the case develops.