A class action antitrust lawsuit was filed on behalf of Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs against Defendant Agri Stats, Inc., and Processor Defendants Butterball, Cargill, Cooper Farms, Inc., Farbest Foods, Inc., Foster Farms, Hormel (including Jennie-O Turkey Store, a subsidiary of Hormel), House of Raeford, Perdue, and Prestage (together, “Defendants”).
The lawsuit alleges Defendants and their co-conspirators entered into an agreement to exchange competitively sensitive and non-public information about production plans and pricing data through Defendant Agri Stats and Express Markets International, Inc. (EMI) (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Agri Stats) to limit supply and increase prices in the turkey market. The Court has not decided whether Defendants did anything wrong and Defendants deny any wrong-doing.
Cargill has reached a $4,000,000 settlement and Cooper Farms and Farbest Foods have each reached separate $562,500 settlements in the lawsuit (collectively, “the Settlements”). In addition to these monetary payments, Settling Defendants have agreed to certain non-monetary relief. There will be no payments to class members from the Settlements at this time. You will be notified later of an opportunity to file a Claim Form. The remaining Defendants Agri Stats, Inc., and Processor Defendants Butterball, Foster Farms, Hormel, Jennie-O Turkey Store, House of Raeford, Perdue, and Prestage (“non-settling Defendants”) have not settled.
The Court “certified” a class of commercial and institutional purchasers defined as: “All entities in the Indirect Purchaser States that indirectly purchased fresh or frozen, uncooked turkey breast, ground turkey, or whole bird turkey products sold by Defendants in the United States during the Class Period for their own use in commercial food preparation.”
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