Law firms announce a $181 million settlement for consumers who purchased chicken products

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC have announced that selected consumers who purchased any chicken product in the United States from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2020, may be eligible to receive money from class action settlements totaling $181 million.

Settlements have been reached in a class action antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of end-user consumer plaintiffs with defendants: Fieldale Farms Corporation; George's Inc. and George's Farms, Inc.; 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.; Peco Foods Inc.; Pilgrim's Pride Corporation; and Tyson Foods Inc., Tyson Chicken Inc., Tyson Breeders Inc. and Tyson Poultry Inc.

In addition to the settling defendants, the other defendants in this lawsuit for purposes of this notice include: Agri Stats Inc.; Claxton Poultry Farms Inc.; Foster Farms LLC; Foster Poultry Farms; Harrison Poultry Inc.; House of Raeford Farms Inc.; JCG Foods of Alabama LLC; JCG Foods of Georgia LLC; Koch Foods Inc.; Koch Meats Co. Inc.; Mountaire Farms Inc.; Mountaire Farms LLC; Mountaire Farms of Delaware Inc.; O.K. Foods Inc.; O.K. Farms Inc.; O.K. Industries Inc.; Perdue Farms Inc.; Perdue Foods LLC; Sanderson Farms Inc.; Sanderson Farms Inc. (Foods Division); Sanderson Farms Inc. (Processing Division); Sanderson Farms Inc. (Production Division); Wayne Farms LLC; Simmons Foods Inc.; and Simmons Prepared Foods Inc.

The settlement is available for all persons and entities who indirectly purchased fresh or frozen raw chicken (defined as whole birds (with or without giblets), whole cut-up birds purchased within a package, or “white meat” parts including breasts and wings (or cuts containing a combination of these), but excluding chicken that is marketed as halal, kosher, free range, or organic) from Defendants or alleged co-conspirators for personal consumption, where the person or entity purchased in California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island (after July 15, 2013), South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin from January 1, 2009 (except for Rhode Island, which is from July 15, 2013), to July 31, 2019.

Consumers are being asked to visit www.overchargedforchicken.com to submit a claim and find further information about the settlement. There have been multiple settlements in poultry price-fixing cases over the last two years, with the last one being a $35 million settlement by Tyson and Pilgrim’s in early September.

Source: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC

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