Direct purchaser class actions are powerful tools for holding companies accountable for price-fixing, market allocation, and other anticompetitive practices. However, these cases can be complex, requiring strong evidence and credible testimonies to support plaintiffs’ claims. One of the most effective—yet often underutilized—resources for trial lawyers in these cases is the fact witness, especially former employees and insiders with firsthand knowledge of corporate conduct.

At Stratejic Relationships, connecting trial lawyers with the right fact witnesses is our core focus. Here’s why these witnesses are crucial to direct purchaser class actions, and how leveraging their insights can make the difference between a routine case and a game-changing victory.

The Critical Role of Direct Purchaser Class Actions

Direct purchaser class actions allow those who bought goods or services directly from a manufacturer or supplier to seek damages for illegal overcharges resulting from antitrust violations. These cases are commonly seen in industries like pharmaceuticals, technology, food distribution, and more. Plaintiffs must show that they were harmed by unlawful conduct—typically involving secret agreements to fix prices or restrict competition.

But corporate defendants rarely leave a paper trail. Instead, evidence often comes from individuals who saw, heard, or experienced the misconduct firsthand. That’s where fact witnesses become indispensable.

Who Are Fact Witnesses and Why Are They So Important?

A fact witness is someone with direct, personal knowledge of the issues in a legal dispute. In direct purchaser class actions, the most valuable fact witnesses are often:

• Former employees of defendant companies (especially those in sales, compliance, or finance roles)
• Whistleblowers who exposed or opposed unlawful practices
• Customers or suppliers with unusual insight into market behavior

These witnesses can offer more than just “he said, she said” accounts. They can provide:

• Detailed descriptions of pricing conversations and strategy meetings
• Context for documents or emails that seem ambiguous on their own
• Evidence of long-standing patterns, not just isolated incidents
• Information about the company’s culture of compliance—or lack thereof

How Stratejic Relationships Connects Lawyers to Key Witnesses

With over 18 years of experience, Stratejic Relationships has built a unique reputation for helping trial lawyers uncover and approach essential fact witnesses. Our approach includes:

1. Identifying the Right People
Through research, networking, and proprietary databases, we pinpoint former employees who worked in relevant departments or had access to inside information. Our team understands what roles are most likely to yield critical testimony for each case.

2. Ethical Outreach and Engagement
We contact potential witnesses in a manner that respects privacy and professional boundaries. Our goal is to open communication channels without pressuring anyone, making it easy for them to speak with legal teams if they’re comfortable.

3. Preparing Lawyers for Effective Interviews
We equip trial lawyers with background information and context, so they can ask the right questions and quickly assess the value of a witness’s insights.

Why Ex-Employee Testimony Can Make or Break a Case

In direct purchaser class actions, ex-employees can be the “smoking gun” witnesses who turn circumstantial evidence into a compelling narrative. For example, a former pricing manager might:

• Describe how competitors met in secret to discuss prices and customers
• Confirm the existence of internal memos about price coordination
• Testify about pressure from senior management to follow illegal instructions

This type of testimony is especially persuasive with judges and juries. It’s one thing to present documents; it’s another to have a credible former insider explain what those documents mean and why they matter.

Success Stories: Real Impact on Class Actions

Our team has helped law firms across the country secure favorable outcomes in direct purchaser class actions by locating witnesses who could:

• Corroborate patterns of price-fixing that spanned years and multiple products
• Shed light on how illegal profits were tracked or distributed
• Expose the lengths to which companies went to conceal their schemes

One notable result involved connecting a legal team with several former regional sales managers who collectively described a “top-down” effort to enforce artificially high prices across the industry. Their accounts matched documentary evidence, significantly strengthening the case and leading to a settlement that fairly compensated affected purchasers.

How Fact Witnesses Enhance Settlement Value

The presence of strong, credible fact witnesses doesn’t just make a case winnable—it increases its value. Defendants are far more likely to settle, and to offer meaningful compensation, when they know the plaintiffs have insider testimony that could stand up in court.

Partnering with Stratejic Relationships

For trial lawyers pursuing direct purchaser class actions, Stratejic Relationships is the strategic partner you need. We understand the importance of finding, approaching, and supporting the right witnesses to build your case. Our deep network, ethical approach, and decades of experience make us the go-to resource for lawyers who want every advantage in court.