August 30, 2010—NSF International, which provides certifications for consumer goods, issued a lawsuit against the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) and Jack Gillis, the organization’s executive director. The lawsuit was filed after Gillis failed to retract allegedly damaging statements about NSF’s new aftermarket parts certification program.
Earlier this year NSF International, along with the Auto Body Parts Association (ABPA), announced plans to support certification of aftermarket parts and fund additional certifications. Due to a low penetration rate of CAPA-certified parts, the new certifications will open up the marketplace, provide another option, and compliment CAPA, according to an ABPA statement.
However, the ABPA seems to be trying to work around CAPA by supporting what promises to be a lower-cost standard, according to an open letter to ABPA from Gillis. In addition, the new certifications may undermine the quality of the parts.
The dispute is far from over, according to Stan Rodman, ABPA’s executive director.
“All of our members have every right to know that this issue is far from settled,” he said. “Gillis, in deciding to publicly attack not only ABPA but also NSF International … may have bitten off more than he can chew.”
The lawsuit was filed earlier this month in the U.S. District Court in Eastern Michigan. For more information about the lawsuit, go to autobpa.com.
