A group of poultry farmers reached a $100 million settlement with Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation in a class-action lawsuit alleging price-fixing in the broiler chicken industry, according to a filing in an Oklahoma federal court.
Pilgrims is owed by JBS USA.
The settlement is the largest amount ever paid by any single defendant in any of the antitrust cases in the protein industry, according to the filing.
The plaintiffs, including Haff Poultry, Inc. and others, requested preliminary approval of the settlement and certification of the settlement class.
Under the agreement, Pilgrim’s will pay $100 million in cash and refrain from including arbitration clauses or class action waivers in contracts with settlement class members for five years.
The defendants sought to dismiss Aramark’s case, arguing that the claims were time-barred under the statute of limitations. However, on Friday, a federal court denied their motion to dismiss, ruling that the statute of limitations had been paused by the timely filing of the initial class action in December 2019.
The class action, which involves direct purchasers of turkey products, is still awaiting a decision on class certification, with a hearing scheduled for October.
