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Dairy producers recently agreed to pay $220 million to resolve claims that they intentionally reduced the number of dairy cows to increase milk costs.
Members of the National Milk Producers Federation have agreed to make gradual payments which will eventually cumulate in a $220 million settlement fund.
This fund will resolve claims they eliminated dairy cows as part of a price-fixing scheme that affected the cost of cheese, milk and other dairy products.
The plaintiffs claim they have suffered more than $1 billion in damages, but their motion for preliminary settlement approval notes that they came to the difficult decision to settle their allegations after having “lived this case for years.”
Considering the dairy producers’ “tenacious defense,” continuing with litigation through to a trial would have reportedly been fraught with risks.
The plaintiffs also note that the case has been litigated for around seven years – meaning that discovery and other motions have revealed nearly all of the relevant facts.
“As a result, class counsel possesses all the information necessary to properly evaluate the case, and, in their estimation, the proposed settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate,” the plaintiffs wrote in their dairy producers class settlement motion, adding that the deal will “ensure that class members receive a real recovery in the readily foreseeable future.”
The milk price-fixing class action lawsuit claimed that the Cooperative Working Together initiated a herd retirement program in an effort to eliminate the number of dairy cows available.
Although the program was reportedly framed as a way to help the meat industry, the dairy producers class action lawsuit claimed that it was truly an effort to suppress the supply of milk products and therefore increase prices.
According to plaintiffs in the dairy producers class action, the price-fixing scheme raised the price of milk well above the minimum price set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Based on this significant inflation, an Illinois judge ruled in October 2016 that the plaintiffs were not prohibited from bringing their antitrust claims.
The court agreed to certify a Class of consumers who purchased certain dairy products between Dec. 6, 2008 and July 31, 2013. The court also agreed to certify subclasses of consumers who purchased the products from specific members of the Cooperatives Working Together during the Class period. A website was established for these Class Members in March 2019.
Before the settlement was reached, the dairy producers class action was set to go to trial in October 2020.
Are you a member of the Class who could benefit from the recently proposed settlement? Let us know in the comment section below!
The plaintiffs and Class Members are represented by Don Barrett of Barrett Law Group PA; Dianne M. Nast of NastLaw LLC; Michael Roberts of Roberts Law Firm PA; Charles Barrett of Neal & Harwell PLC; and Linda P. Nussbaum of the Nussbaum Law Group PC.
The Milk Price-Fixing Class Action Lawsuit is First Impressions Salon Inc., et al. v. National Milk Producers Federation, et al., Case No. 3:13-CV-00454-NJR-SCW, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
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860 thoughts on$220M Milk Price-Fixing Class Action Settlement Reached
I use a lot of cheese and butter. I would like to know which brands qualifies for this settlement
irrelevant since the time to file expired years ago… bet ur late to everything aren’t u…
I’ve been waiting to fill out a claim form. Every time I it says not accepting claim forms yet we will let you know when they do. It’s been a couple years or more.
I will go back to the site again and see if I can find a claim form somewhere.
Thank you,
Michele
you’ve been trying for years to fill out a claim form??? wow! think u should look for a different hobby since the cut off date to file was years ago, hence you’ve been wasting ur life fr years now… all for $7
I too signed up years ago.
shabibi baby, we all did… please keep ur panties on, ur $7 is coming soon
Wow. Imagine having such a boring life that you troll people on a message board like this over and over.
I became a part of this class action lawsuit when it began years ago. I filled out the claim form and hae been waiting to get my payment.
i filled out a class action on this milk long time ago what happened
We go through a lot of milk
I been in this lawsuit since it started. Would like to know what’s going on with it.
I signed up for this when it first took place, but was under my old email address, and my oldlast name,since getting married, please add me again with my newest one. adrianneberry1@gmail.com
Yes I have been following this case for a while, please notify me when claim forms are available. Also, what other information needed at that time to proceed.
Thank you,
Michele Ballew
I already signed up for the class action, that was for milk, I don’t know if this is for the same one .I would like to find out what is happening, I was just checking to see the progress. Thank you.
Please Add me to the dairy class action. Thank you.
Please add me