Home Builders Sue Lumber Distributors for ‘Unreal’ Price Gouging

A group of residential builders filed an antitrust lawsuit against multiple lumber distributors, alleging that they colluded to raise prices amid increased demand spurred by extreme weather events and the coronavirus pandemic.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, said 10 lumber companies each “used its dominant position in the lumber industry and during COVID-19 to drive up the prices of lumber and force Plaintiffs to pay unreal prices for lumber that was necessary to sustain their business.”

The lumber companies named in the suit—including Georgia-Pacific LLC, Sierra Pacific Industries, Idaho Forest Group, ...