Feb 26 (Reuters) - Goodyear, Bridgestone ( BRDCF ) and four other

tire manufacturers have persuaded a U.S. judge to dismiss

class-action lawsuits accusing them of conspiring to overcharge

consumers and businesses in the multibillion-dollar market for

replacement tires.

U.S. Chief District Judge Sara Lioi in an order on Tuesday

in the Akron, Ohio, federal court rejected price-fixing claims

against the tire companies, which also included Continental,

Michelin, Nokian and Pirelli. Lioi said the plaintiffs had not

adequately alleged a conspiracy to fix prices and increase

profits.

Three groups of buyers, including automobile dealerships and

other consumer purchasers, alleged in lawsuits filed last year

that the companies conspired during the COVID-19 pandemic to fix

prices of replacement tires in the United States.

Goodyear, Bridgestone ( BRDCF ) and the other tiremakers did not

immediately respond to requests for comment. Attorneys for the

plaintiffs did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The companies had denied any wrongdoing.

The lawsuits were filed after European Union antitrust

investigators announced inspections at some of the tiremakers'

non-U.S. offices.

The tire companies had urged the court not to place any

weight in the European investigation, which they said had not

led to any enforcement proceedings or other penalties.

Lioi in her ruling said the plaintiffs had not sufficiently

linked alleged conduct in Europe to sales and pricing practices

in the United States.

The judge also said the "plaintiffs have not plausibly

alleged that the price increases were irrational or against

defendants' economic self-interest absent prior agreement."

Lioi said the plaintiffs could seek to file amended lawsuits

by March 25.

The case is In re: Passenger Vehicle Replacement Tires

Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of

Ohio, No. 5:24-md-03107-SL.

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