On October 5, 2021, the Court granted Preliminary Approval of settlements with the Mar-Jac and Harrison Poultry Defendants.

Two more settlements have been reached in a class action antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs (“Plaintiffs”) of Broiler chicken. The two new settlements are with Defendants Mar-Jac Poultry, Inc., Mar-Jac Poultry MS, LLC, Mar-Jac Poultry AL, LLC, Mar-Jac AL/MS, Inc., Mar-Jac Poultry, LLC, and Mar-Jac Holdings, Inc. (collectively, “Mar-Jac”) and Harrison Poultry, Inc. (“Harrison Poultry”) (collectively, “New Settlements” with the “New Settling Defendants”). Previous settlements (the “Previous Settlements”) were filed on behalf of Plaintiffs with Defendants Tyson Foods, Inc., Tyson Chicken, Inc., Tyson Breeders, Inc., and Tyson Poultry, Inc. (collectively, “Tyson”); Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (“Pilgrim’s Pride”); Peco Foods, Inc. (“Peco”); George’s, Inc. and George’s Farms, Inc. (collectively, “George’s”); Amick Farms, LLC (“Amick”); and Fieldale Farms Corporation (“Fieldale Farms”) (collectively, the “Previous Settling Defendants”). Together, the New Settling Defendants and Previous Settling Defendants are referred to as “Settling Defendants” and the Previous Settlements and the New Settlements are collectively referred to as the “Settlements.”

Who is Included in the Settlements?

The Court decided that, for settlement purposes, Settlement Class members are defined as follows for the New Settlements:

All persons who purchased Broilers directly from any of the Defendants or any Co-Conspirator identified in this action, or their respective subsidiaries or affiliates, for use or delivery in the United States from at least as early as January 1, 2008, until December 20, 2019.

What is this Case About?

Plaintiffs allege that Defendants and their Co-Conspirators conspired to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the price of Broilers, beginning at least as early as January 1, 2008. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants implemented their conspiracy in various ways, including via coordinated supply restrictions, sharing competitively sensitive price and production information, and otherwise manipulating Broiler prices, with the intent and expected result of increasing prices of Broilers in the United States, in violation of federal antitrust laws. The Settling Defendants have not admitted any liability concerning and continue to deny the legal claims alleged. The Court did not decide which side was right, but both sides agreed to the Settlements to resolve the case. The case is still proceeding on behalf of the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs against all other Defendants who have not settled with the Plaintiffs.

What do the Settlements Provide?

The New Settlements will require Mar-Jac to pay $7,975,000.00 and Harrison Poultry to pay $3,300,000.00.

Of the Previous Settling Defendants, Tyson has paid $79,340,000, Pilgrim’s Pride has paid $75,000,000, Peco has paid $4,964,600, George’s has paid $4,097,000, Amick has paid $3,950,000, and Fieldale Farms has paid $2,250,000. Collectively, all Settlements to date provide $180,876,600 in Settlement Proceeds. The deadline to file a claim for pro rata compensation from the Previous Settlements has already passed.

Your legal rights are affected whether you act or don’t act. Please read the information on this website and in the notice carefully. Additional information about eligibility, the Settlements, the lawsuit, and important Court documents may be found on the Important Documents and FAQ pages of this website.