Cal-Maine Egg Product Price-Fixing Class Action Settlement

Cal-Maine Foods Inc. has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit involving allegations it engaged in a conspiracy with other egg product producers to decrease the supply of eggs, forcing direct purchasers to pay an artificially inflated price for the egg products. If you purchased eggs produced from caged birds in the United States directly from any U.S. egg producer from Jan. 1, 2000 through Feb. 28, 2014, you could be eligible for benefits from the class action settlement.

The class action settlement will resolve several class action lawsuits filed in 2008 over the egg product price-fixing claims. The egg product lawsuits were consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL), In re: Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation, in December 2008. To date, three defendants have settled with plaintiffs. In 2009, Sparboe Farms Inc. reached a class action settlement, which received final approval in July 2012. Moark LLC, Norco Ranch Inc. and Land O’Lakes Inc. agreed to pay $25 million to resolve the price-fixing claims.

Cal-Maine entered into class action settlement negotiations beginning in March 2012. On Aug. 2, 2013, Cal-Maine and the plaintiffs reached a class action settlement that will provide $28 million to Class Members.

Cal-Maine denies the allegations but has agreed to settle the egg product price-fixing class action lawsuit to avoid the expense and uncertainty of continued litigation.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members of the Cal-Maine egg product class action settlement include: “All persons and entities that purchased Shell Eggs and Egg Products in the United States directly from any Producer, including any Defendant, during the Class Period from January 1, 2000 through February 28, 2014.”

The Settlement Class consists of two subclasses: the “Shell Egg Subclass” and the “Egg Products Subclass.” The Egg Products Subclass includes all individuals and entities that purchased egg products that were produced from shell eggs during the Class Period. The Shell Egg Subclass includes all individuals and entities that purchased shell eggs during the Class Period.

Potential Award

Class Members will receive a pro rata share of the Cal-Maine egg product settlement fund, based on the dollar amount of their direct purchases of Shell Eggs and Egg Products compared with to the total purchases of all Class Members who submit timely and valid claims.

Because the alleged overcharge resulting from the alleged price-fixing conspiracy is only a portion of the price paid for Shell Eggs and Egg Products, Class Members will receive less than the total amount they paid.

Proof of Purchase

If available, Class Members should submit records that calculate and document the dollar amount of their eligible purchases.

Claim Form

Claim Form Deadline

8/1/2014

Case Name

In re: Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2002, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Final Hearing

9/18/2014

Settlement Website

www.EggProductsSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

In re Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation
c/o The Garden City Group Inc.
P.O. Box 9476
Dublin, OH 43017-4576
1-866-881-8306

Class Counsel

Steven A. Asher
WEINSTEN KITCHENOFF & ASHER LLC

Michael D. Hausfeld
HAUSFELD LLP

Stanley D. Bernstein
BERNSTEIN LIEBHARD LLP

Stephen D. Susman
SUSMAN GODFREY LLP

Defense Counsel

Veronica S. Lewis
GIBSON DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP