Iowa School Food Class Action Settlement

A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit alleging that Iowa Educators Corporation (IEC), its successor The Iowa Association for Educational Purchasing (IAEP), and Martin Brothers Distributing Company Inc. violated Iowa antitrust laws by conspiring to restrain competition in the market for the retail sale of school foods. Under the terms of the Iowa school food class action settlement, thousands of Iowa parents who paid for their children’s school lunches may be eligible for a payment.

According to the Iowa school food class action lawsuit, the defendants’ alleged misconduct has caused Iowa families whose children attended schools that were IEC members to pay higher prices for food at school than they would have paid without the alleged misconduct. The class action lawsuit alleged the defendants were unjustly enriched by the allegedly anticompetitive conduct. The plaintiffs sought injunctive relief to change the process by which the IEC and IAEP award contracts to food distributors and to recover damages that were allegedly caused by the defendants’ conduct.

The defendants deny any wrongdoing but have agreed to settle the class action lawsuit to avoid the cost and delays associated with ongoing litigation.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members of the Iowa school food class action settlement include anyone who paid for food at an Iowa-based school between Jan. 1, 2000 and Aug. 1, 2014 and who, at the time of purchase, (1) was a member of the IEC or the IAEP and (2) had one or more grades from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

A list of the applicable schools is available here.

Potential Award

Up to $50, per student. Class Members who submit a valid, sworn and timely Claim Form are entitled to a payment of $3.50 for each year the Class Member or student attended an IEC-member school between Jan. 1, 2000 and Aug. 1, 2014. Payments are subject to a $50 cap per student and may be reduced on a pro rata basis if the number of valid claims exceeds the class action settlement fund.

Proof of Purchase

You must provide the student’s name, date of birth, name of K-12 school attended and the start and end date of attendance.

Claim Form

Claim Form Deadline

9/30/2014

Case Name

Duane Smith and Brooke Smith v. Martin Brothers Distributing Company Inc., et al., Case No. CVCV036641, in the Iowa District Court for Dallas County

Final Hearing

11/4/2014

Settlement Website

http://www.IowaSchoolFoodSettlement.com/

Claims Administrator

Iowa School Food Litigation Settlement
c/o Gilardi & Co. LLC
P.O. Box 8060
San Rafael, CA 94912-8060
1-888-223-8707
info@IowaFoodSettlement.com

Class Counsel

Elizabeth A. Fegan
HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP

J. Barton Goplerud
HUDSON MALLANEY SHINDLER & ANDERSON PC

Defense Counsel

N/A