Turkey Price Fixing $4.6M Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

UPDATE:

• The Court granted final approval to this class action settlement Feb. 3, 2022.
• Let Top Class Actions know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

Consumers who purchased any turkey product directly from a turkey producer in the United States between Jan. 1, 2010, and Jan. 1, 2017, may have their rights to seek out future litigation affected thanks to a nationwide $4.6 million Tyson settlement.

Settlement Class Members include customers who purchased turkey or turkey products from Tyson Foods, Tyson Fresh Meats, Tyson Prepared Foods, and/or the Hillshire Brands Co. in the United States between Jan. 1, 2010, and Jan. 1, 2017. 

Covered turkey products include (but are not limited to) wings, drums, legs, breasts, tenderloins, thighs, tails, gizzards, mechanically separated turkey, ground turkey, lunch meat, deli meat, sausage, franks, bacon, and corn dogs. 

Officers, directors, employees, heirs, or legal representatives of the above companies are excluded from participating in this class action lawsuit.

Plaintiffs allege the above companies worked together to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize turkey prices to gain a bigger profit than they would on the open market, a violation of federal antitrust laws, according to the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs say the turkey market in the United States is worth $5 billion, but only a select few companies at the top provide all the nation’s supply. By decreasing the nation’s supply of turkey, the plaintiffs argue, these companies could artificially inflate turkey prices.

The Court did not make a ruling on this case, so they have not decided whether Tyson or the other defendants committed any wrongdoing. Tyson denies doing anything wrong.

Other defendants named in this class action have not yet settled.

After considering the benefits and downsides of ongoing litigation, both parties have agreed to resolve the lawsuit with a $4.6 million settlement. 

This money will go toward resolving all settlement Class Members’ claims against Tyson. A portion of the settlement will go toward notifying settlement Class Members. Any remaining funds will remain available for any future distribution, attorney’s fees, and litigation expenses.

A final hearing in the class action lawsuit is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2022.

Class Members who do not take action will participate in the settlement Class.

Unless Class Members opt out and exclude themselves from the settlement Class, they will not be able to sue, continue to sue, or be a part of any lawsuit against Tyson regarding the released claims in the settlement agreement.

The deadline to file an objection in or request to be excluded from this class action settlement is Nov. 22, 2021.

Who’s Eligible

The Settlement Class Members include customers who purchased turkey or turkey products from Tyson Foods, Tyson Fresh Meats, Tyson Prepared Foods, and/or the Hillshire Brands Co. in the United States between Jan. 1, 2010, and Jan. 1, 2017.

Potential Award

Not Yet Distributed
Co-lead counsel do not intend to distribute any proceeds from the settlement to qualifying members of the settlement class at this time, but instead intend to combine any distribution of the settlement proceeds with proceeds from future settlements or other recoveries in the litigation.

Proof of Purchase

No proof of purchase required.

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Exclusion/Objection Deadline

11/22/2021

Case Name

Wholesale Grocery Cooperative, Inc., et al., V. Agri Stats, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:19-cv-08318, in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division

Final Hearing

01/26/2022

Settlement Website

TurkeyLitigation.com

Claims Administrator

Turkey Antitrust Litigation
c/o A.B. Data, Ltd.
P.O. Box 173015
Milwaukee, WI 53217
info@TurkeyLitigation.com
877-777-9637

Class Counsel

W. Joseph Bruckner
Brian D. Clark
LOCKRIDGE GRINDAL NAUEN PLLP

Shana E. Scarlett
Rio S. Pierce
HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP

Defense Counsel

Tiffany Rider Rohrbaugh
AXINN, VELTROP & HARKRIDER LLP

Eli J. Glasser
EXECUTIVE COUNSEL, ANTITRUST AND GLOBAL COMPETITION TYSON FOODS INC