Turkey price-fixing settlement overview:
- Who: Direct purchasers of turkey products reached settlement agreements with House of Raeford Farms Inc. and Prestage Farms Inc. in an antitrust class action lawsuit.
- Why: The settlements resolve claims that the companies participated in an alleged conspiracy to fix turkey prices.
- Where: The litigation is ongoing in Illinois federal court.
An Illinois federal judge has granted preliminary approval to an $18.7 million class action settlement involving House of Raeford Farms and Prestage Farms in long-running litigation accusing poultry producers of conspiring to fix turkey prices.
The proposed settlements call for House of Raeford to pay $3.7 million and Prestage to pay $15 million to a certified class of direct purchasers.
According to the plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary approval, the proposed payments would bring total recovery from prior settlements to nearly $59.2 million.
The plaintiffs allege several turkey producers shared competitively sensitive pricing and production information through Agri Stats Inc. as part of a conspiracy to restrict supply and inflate turkey prices.
The antitrust litigation has been pending since 2019, and claims against several defendants remain scheduled for trial later this year.
According to the settlement motion, House of Raeford’s $3.7 million payment represents approximately 16.7% of the plaintiffs’ estimated single damages attributable to the company, while Prestage’s $15 million payment represents approximately 27.3% of its estimated single damages.
Turkey price-fixing settlement includes cooperation from defendants
The antitrust class action settlement includes an agreement by both companies to cooperate by helping authenticate documents and providing up to two trial witnesses each for use in the case against the remaining defendants.
The proposed agreements would release claims against House of Raeford and Prestage arising from the litigation but would not release claims against the remaining defendants. The settlement proceeds would be placed into interest-bearing escrow accounts and held until the court later approves a distribution plan after the litigation concludes.
U.S. District Judge Sunil R. Harjani also granted preliminary approval to separate agreements involving Foster Farms and Perdue. Under the proposed agreements, the direct purchaser plaintiffs and the companies agreed not to appeal the summary judgment ruling or seek litigation costs or attorney fees from one another.
According to the settlement motion, those agreements provide certainty regarding the parties’ remaining obligations but do not include additional monetary payments to the class.
The plaintiffs have asked the court to approve a class notice plan informing class members about the turkey price-fixing settlements. Under the proposed schedule, notice would begin no later than Oct. 8, 2026, followed by an opportunity for class members to object before the court holds a fairness hearing on final approval.
The direct purchaser plaintiffs remain scheduled to proceed to trial against the remaining defendants in October.
What do you think about this proposed class action settlement? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Shana E. Scarlett, Rio S. Pierce, Abby R. Wolf, Sarah E. Dupree, Steve Berman and Breanna Van Engelen of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Brian D. Clark, W. Joseph Bruckner, Simeon A. Morbey, Steve E. Serdikoff and Olivia T. Levinson of Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP.
The turkey price-fixing class action lawsuit is In re Turkey Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 1:19-cv-08318, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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