In a ruling on June 27, 2012, a US Court of Appeals surprised by reviving a potential multi-billion dollar anti-trust case filed by potash buyers.
Potash Corp and Agrium are named along with several other firms, including a US company, four Russian and Belarusian companies.
The plaintiffs are arguing that the seven companies conspired to keep prices high.
Particularly noteworthy about the ruling, is the long reach of US law. A US lawyer is quoted as saying basically the cartel may operate outside the US, but if it pushes up US prices, they will have to live under US Anti-trust laws. The companies are contesting the allegations.
This is a long-simmering risk for the firms that had been on the back burner, and maybe going away, which has suddenly re-emerged as more important.