The MDI and TDI Price-Fixing Settlements Now Total $37.75 Million — Dow Pays $14 Million and Huntsman $6 Million — and With Two Deadlines Gone, November 2 Is the Last Day to Claim Against BASF and Covestro

As of October 20, 2026, the diisocyanates antitrust settlement is five separate deals worth $37.75 million together, and the gaps that remained in our October 11 report are closed. The settlement website, which we were able to read directly this time, states: “Under these Settlements, BASF has agreed to pay $2,900,000 and $100,000 towards the cost of providing notice to the Class, Covestro has agreed to pay $7,000,000, WCA has agreed to pay $7,750,000, Dow has agreed to pay $14,000,000, and Huntsman have agreed to pay $6,000,000 into a Fund for payments to Class Members, court-approved attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses, and service awards.” WCA is Wanhua Chemical (America). Dow and Huntsman, the last two to settle, account for $20 million — more than half the total. Before their figures were public, the three earlier deals added up to $17.75 million.

Two of the three deadline groups are now in the past. The site lists October 13, 2026 as the claim, exclusion and objection deadline for Wanhua and October 19, 2026 for Dow and Huntsman. The one still ahead: “Claim Filing Deadline: BASF & Covestro November 2, 2026,” with the same date for opting out and objecting. The home page does not say whether late claims against Wanhua, Dow or Huntsman will be accepted; a business that missed those dates should call the administrator rather than assume either way.

This is still not a consumer settlement. The class covers “all persons and entities in the United States, its territories, and/or the District of Columbia who purchased or received directly” MDI or TDI from the defendants and their affiliates — in practice foam makers, coating companies and chemical distributors like the named plaintiffs, Utah Foam Products, Rhino Linings Corporation, Tri-Iso Tryline LLC and American Polymers Corp. State and federal government entities are excluded. The class period on the site runs from January 1, 2016 through July 29, 2026.

There is no fixed amount per company. Each claimant’s share depends on how much MDI and TDI it bought from the defendants and on how many claims are filed; the Covestro notice describes a “pro rata payment” based by default on the defendants’ own sales records. Each fund also pays attorneys’ fees, costs, service awards and administration before anything is shared out.

That is where the newest docket entry comes in. On October 17, 2026, class counsel filed a request for attorneys’ fees, entered as docket no. 1318 under the label “Attorney Fees.” The document itself is not on the public RECAP archive, so as of October 20 we cannot report the amount requested. What the draft Covestro notice filed with the court told class members to expect, and what the settlement site now says for all the settlements: “Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses, including fees, costs, and expenses of experts, of up to one-third of the Fund,” plus “$15,000 Service Awards for each of the Named Plaintiffs.” If the same one-third ceiling were applied to all five funds, it would come to about $12.6 million of the $37.75 million — our arithmetic, not a figure from the motion.

Timing has not changed. The notice says payments will be distributed “as soon as possible, if and when the Court grants final approval of the Settlement and after any appeals are resolved.” The fairness hearing for all five settlements is December 7, 2026, before Judge Hardy in Pittsburgh. No payment date has been announced, and the site itself says: “The Court in charge of this case still must decide whether to approve the Settlement.”

If your business bought MDI or TDI directly from BASF or Covestro, three things are due by November 2, 2026: a claim, an exclusion request, or an objection. You only need one of them, and most class members only need the claim.

File a claim. Kroll Settlement Administration, the court-appointed administrator, sent identifiable buyers a pre-filled form. Per the Covestro notice: “If you agree with the amount(s), no additional documentation is required. To receive a pro rata payment, simply complete, sign, and submit the Claim Form.” If the purchase figure is wrong or missing, “you must complete a Purchase Audit Request Form and provide supporting documentation (e.g., purchase orders, sales receipts, etc.).” The site’s “Submit Claim” button leads to Kroll’s claim portal. Doing nothing is not the same as claiming: “You must submit a claim to receive any distribution as a Class Member.”

Object — including to the fees. The fee request was filed before the November 2 objection deadline for BASF and Covestro, so class members in those two settlements who think the request is too high can say so in a written objection by that date. Objecting keeps you in the class.

Opt out. Excluding yourself is the only way to keep the right to sue BASF or Covestro separately over these claims. If you do nothing, the site says, “you give up the right to sue the Settling Defendants about the claims resolved by these Settlements.”

The genuine materials say “A federal Court authorized this Settlement Website. It is not a solicitation from a lawyer. You are not being sued.” The site adds: “This is the only authorized website for this case. For more information please call (833) 930-0157.” Its claim form runs on Kroll’s own forms server, not on a third-party domain. Filing costs nothing; class counsel, Hartley LLP and Hausfeld LLP, are paid from the funds only if the court approves, and the notice says “It is not necessary for you to hire your own lawyer because Class Counsel works for you.”

Two practical points. The official site sits behind a bot-protection service; if it shows a security check, that is normal. And if a claims-filing company offers to recover your share for a percentage, you do not need one — the pre-filled form is designed to be signed and returned as is. Type the web address yourself rather than following a link in an unexpected email.

What products contain diisocyanates? MDI and TDI are the two big ones — the EPA notes that “Over 90% of the diisocyanates’ market is dominated by” them. The settlement site calls them “industrial chemicals widely used in the production of polyurethanes for construction, automotive, furniture, and consumer goods” — foam, insulation, sealants, adhesives and coatings.

Are diisocyanates harmful to health? In their reactive form, yes. The EPA’s April 2011 action plan for MDI says diisocyanates “are well known dermal and inhalation sensitizers in the workplace and have been documented to cause asthma, lung damage, and in severe cases, fatal reactions,” and calls them “a major cause of work-related asthma worldwide.” The concern is with uncured products such as spray foam sealants, adhesives and coatings. Finished goods are different: mattresses, pillows and bowling balls are “considered to be inert and non-toxic.” This settlement is about prices, not health: it pays no injury claims, and anyone with exposure concerns should see a doctor or contact the EPA or OSHA.

What does antitrust settlement mean? It is a deal in which a company accused of breaking competition law pays into a fund to end the claims, without admitting fault. Here, the plaintiffs allege the manufacturers limited supply “by planned manufacturing shutdowns at plants worldwide and implementing coordinated pricing increases, in violation of the Sherman Act.” These are allegations; the site says “The Settling Defendants deny these allegations and any wrongdoing.” Because it is a class action — “one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people or entities with similar claims” — one approved deal binds every direct buyer who does not opt out.

Searches for this case also turn up questions about a financial aid antitrust settlement payout. That is a different case, brought over university financial aid, and nothing on the diisocyanates settlement site concerns it; students and families should use that case’s own court-authorized notice and website.

The settlements end the claims against six companies: BASF Corporation, Covestro LLC, Wanhua Chemical (America), The Dow Chemical Company, Huntsman International LLC and Huntsman Corporation. The class definition also covers purchases from Covestro AG, Wanhua Chemical Group, Mitsui Chemicals, Mitsui Chemicals America and MCNS, which are not among the settling defendants named on the site; we have not confirmed the status of claims against them as of October 20, 2026. Besides the money, the settling defendants “agreed to use reasonable best efforts to authenticate a number of documents previously provided in the Litigation” — cooperation that matters only if the case continues against others.

The next dates on the record are November 2, 2026 for BASF and Covestro class members and December 7, 2026 for the hearing on all five deals and the fee request. We will update this page when the fee motion becomes readable or the court rules.