Egg Product Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

Award (how much your claim may be worth): Claims will paid out on a pro rata basis, meaning your share of the $25 million settlement depends on how many people file a valid claim.

Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Case(s):  In re Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 08-md-02002, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Company(ies): MOARK, LLC, NORCO RANCH, INC., LAND O’ LAKES, INC.

Website of the Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Administrator (DOWNLOAD AND SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM HERE): www.EggProductSettlement.com

Address to submit a claim form (REQUIRED):

All claim forms must be postmarked or hand-delivered by January 7, 2011. If you’re submitting via regular mail, send your claim form and supporting documentation to the following address:

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

If you want to use a pre-paid delivery service to have your claim form hand-delivered, mail your claim form to the following address:

In re Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation (EGS)
c/o The Garden City Group, Inc.
815 Western Avenue, Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98104

Phone Number to call for assistance:  1-888-881-8306

Details: The egg product class action lawsuit settlement partially resolves a lawsuit against defendants Moark LLC, Norco Ranch, Inc. and Land O’ Lakes, Inc. that accuses them of conspiring together to fix the price of eggs in the United States. As a result of the partial class action settlement, anyone who has purchased eggs in the last 10 years could receive benefits from the class action lawsuit settlement.

The class action lawsuit, entitled In re Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation, was filed as the result of a previous class action settlement with Sparboe Farms, Inc. over an alleged conspiracy by Sparboe and other egg producers to depress the supply of eggs in the United States. As part of the 2009 Sparboe settlement, Sparboe agreed to provide more details about the alleged conspiracy, which were included in the second consolidated amended complaint filed on April 7, 2010 against Moark, LLC; Norco Ranch, Inc. and Land O’ Lakes, Inc.

The egg price-fixing class action alleges that the defendants conspired together to limit, fix, raise, stabilize or maintain the price of eggs, which caused direct purchasers to pay more for eggs than they would have otherwise paid. This was allegedly done through methods that included agreeing to limit or dispose of hen flocks, agreeing to export eggs in order to remove eggs from the domestic supply, a pre-textual animal husbandry program that was a cover to further reduce egg supply, and more. This wide-ranging conspiracy affected both shell eggs and egg products, which are eggs removed from their shells for further processing into a dried, frozen or liquid form.

Two of the defendants in the egg antitrust class action lawsuit — Norco Ranch and Land O’Lakes — remain in litigation, but Moark agreed to settle the case in May. As part of the Moark settlement, anyone who purchased eggs, including shell eggs and egg products, produced from caged birds in the United States directly from any producer during the class period from January 1, 2000 through July 15, 2010 can file a claim to receive a pro rata share of the $25 million Moark class action settlement. Moark has also agreed under the class action settlement to cooperate, just as Sparboe did, by providing more details about the egg price-fixing conspiracy.

To receive your share of the Moark egg conspiracy class action settlement, you must mail in a claim form via first-class mail postmarked or hand-delivered by January 7, 2011. If you wish to object to or exclude yourself from the Moark class action settlement, you must submit your request by November 16, 2010. Downloadable claim forms and instructions on how to file a claim can be found at www.EggProductSettlement.com.

Go to www.EggProductSettlement.com NOW to download your claim form and submit your claim to receive your share of the $25 million settlement!

Purchased From: January 1, 2000 through July 15, 2010

Claims must be postmarked by: 1/7/11

Settlement Administrator(s): The Garden City Group, Inc.

Class Counsel:
Steven A. Asher
Weinstein Kitchenoff & Asher LLC

Stanley D. Bernstein
Bernstein Liebhard LLP

Michael D. Hausfeld
Hausfeld LLP

Stephen D. Susman
Susman Godfrey LLP

Defense Counsel:
Nathan P. Eimer
Eimer Stahl Klevorn & Solberg LLP

UPDATE: The Michael Foods egg price-fixing direct purchaser class action settlement is now open. Click here to file a claim.