IPCS Corp. has filed a class-action lawsuit against several major construction equipment rental companies, accusing them of conspiring to fix rental prices nationwide. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on May 1, 2025, targeting RB Global, Inc., Rouse Services LLC, United Rentals, Inc., Sunbelt Rentals, Inc., HERC Rentals Inc., HERC Holdings Inc., H&E Equipment Services, Inc., and Sunstate Equipment Co., LLC.
The lawsuit alleges that these companies engaged in a decade-long conspiracy to artificially inflate the prices of construction equipment rentals across the U.S. IPCS Corp. claims that RB Global and its subsidiary Rouse Services facilitated this price-fixing scheme through their online service, Rouse Rental Insights (RRI). This platform allegedly allowed the defendants to share competitively sensitive information daily, enabling them to coordinate pricing strategies and maintain high rental rates in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act.
According to IPCS Corp., renting construction equipment is often more cost-effective than purchasing it outright due to the temporary nature of most construction projects. However, by colluding on prices through Rouse's data-sharing system, these rental companies have been able to eliminate competition and charge inflated rates for their services. IPCS Corp. argues that this anti-competitive behavior has resulted in significant financial harm to contractors who rely on rented equipment for their projects.
The plaintiff seeks treble damages under antitrust laws as well as injunctive relief to prevent further violations. They argue that this conduct not only violates federal antitrust laws but also constitutes unjust enrichment at the expense of those who rent construction equipment from these companies.
Representing IPCS Corp. are attorneys Matthew T. Hurst from Heffner Hurst; Ronen Sarraf and Joseph Gentile from Sarraf Gentile LLP; and Joseph J. DePalma and Collin J. Schaffhauser from Lite DePalma Greenberg & Afanador LLC. The case is being overseen by Judge [Name], with Case ID 1:25-cv-04825.