This billion-dollar recovery for indirect purchasers of LCD panels, if approved by San Francisco U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, will likely lead to some big fees for the plaintiffs lawyers. In a separate case brought by different counsel on behalf of direct purchasers, Illston approved a 30 percent fee, for a total of $121 million.

With so much manufacturing moving overseas, AU Optronics's appeal of the company's criminal price-fixing conviction could have broad implications for a crucial question: Can alleged cartels thwart U.S. antitrust enforcement efforts if much of their alleged conduct took place abroad?