The vitamin makers, several of which have already settled government charges in Canada, are also facing antitrust investigations in Europe.

His mother is a receptionist at Garden State Nutritionals, vitamin makers in West Caldwell.

In late 1998, another vitamin maker, Lonza A.G. of Switzerland, also pleaded guilty to price fixing in the vitamins market and agreed to pay $10.5 million.

The big vitamin makers aren't talking, except to say that they regret fixing prices and are working to keep it from happening again.

In 1991, three Japanese vitamin makers - Takeda, Eisai and Daiichi Pharmaceutical - joined in.

"But the vitamin makers justified the increases by saying that it was exchange rates or production cost increases," Mr. Schiller said.

Initially, the big three vitamin makers - Roche, BASF and Rhone-Poulenc - denied the charges.

Still, questions remain about whether the big vitamin makers, which still dominate the world market, will try again to raise profits artificially.

(Seven other vitamin makers were fined lesser amounts.)

Mr. Boies was a lead lawyer in the class-action suit against the vitamin makers and is said to be interested in the case because of concerns about farmers.