Two Settlements have been reached in the class action antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs: Hormel Foods Settlement and Seaboard Foods Settlement.

Hormel Foods Settlement

A Settlement has been reached in a class action antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs with Hormel Foods Corporation and Hormel Foods, LLC and related or affiliated entities (“Hormel Foods” or “Settling Defendant”). This Settlement only applies to the Settling Defendant and does not dismiss legal claims against other Defendants in the case entitled In re Pork Antitrust Litigation (Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Actions), Case No. 0:18-cv-01776 (D. Minn.).

If approved by the Court, the Settlement will resolve a lawsuit, alleging that Hormel Foods combined and conspired in restraint of trade, the alleged purpose and effect of which was to suppress competition and to allow Hormel Foods and other Pork producers to charge supra-competitive prices for Pork products during the Settlement Class Period, in violation of federal and state laws. If approved, the Settlement will avoid litigation costs and risks to Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs and Hormel Foods and will release Hormel Foods from liability to members of the Settlement Classes.

The Settlement requires Hormel Foods to pay $2,429,000. In addition to this monetary payment, Hormel Foods has agreed to certain non-monetary relief in the form of a declaration from a records custodian addressing the factual predicates for authentication of documents that the Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs include in an exhibit list for trial. There will be no payments to the Settlement Classes at this time. You will be notified later of an opportunity to file a Claim Form.

Recently, notice was provided because the Court established or “certified,” the lawsuit as a class action. In 2021, notice was provided regarding a settlement with Defendants JBS USA Food Company, JBS USA Food Company Holdings, Swift Pork Company, and related or affiliated entities (“JBS”). In 2022, notice was provided regarding a settlement with Defendant Smithfield Foods, Inc. and related or affiliated entities (“Smithfield”). One of the recent Notices is for Hormel Foods Settlement, a new settlement within the same lawsuit. You may be a member of the Settlement Classes.

The Court has not decided whether Hormel Foods did anything wrong, and Hormel Foods denies any wrong-doing, and continues to deny the allegations in the Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs’ complaint. Your legal rights are affected whether you act or do not act. Please read the notice carefully.

Your Legal Rights and Options in the Hormel Foods Settlement
Legal Rights: Deadline:
Exclude Yourself

Get no settlement benefits.

Postmarked by:
November 29, 2024
Object

Write to the Court about why you do not like the Settlement.

Postmarked by:
November 29, 2024
Attend A Hearing

Ask to speak to the Court about the fairness of the Settlement.

Notice of Intention to Appear Postmarked by:
November 29, 2024
Do Nothing

You will remain part of the Settlement, and you may participate in any monetary distribution, which may happen later. The Settlement will resolve your legal claims against Hormel Foods, and you will give up your rights to sue Hormel Foods about the Released Claims (as defined in the Settlement Agreement). You will be bound by the judgment.

 

These rights and options are explained further on the FAQ page.

Seaboard Foods Settlement

A Settlement has been reached in a class action antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs with Seaboard Foods LLC and related or affiliated entities (“Seaboard Foods” or “Settling Defendant”). This Settlement only applies to the Settling Defendant and does not dismiss legal claims against other Defendants in the case entitled In re Pork Antitrust Litigation (Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Actions), Case No. 0:18-cv-01776 (D. Minn.).

If approved by the Court, the Settlement will resolve a lawsuit over whether Seaboard Foods combined and conspired in restraint of trade, the purpose and effect of which was to suppress competition and to allow Seaboard Foods and other Pork producers to charge supra-competitive prices for Pork products during the Settlement Class Period, in violation of federal and state laws. If approved, the Settlement will avoid litigation costs and risks to Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs and Seaboard Foods and will release Seaboard Foods from liability to members of the Settlement Classes.

The Settlement requires Seaboard Foods to pay $4,960,000. In addition to this monetary payment, Seaboard Foods has agreed to certain non-monetary relief and to provide specified cooperation in the Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs’ continued prosecution of the lawsuit. There will be no payments to the Settlement Classes at this time. You will be notified later of an opportunity to file a Claim Form.

Recently, notice was provided because the Court established or “certified,” the lawsuit as a class action. In 2021, notice was provided regarding a settlement with Defendants JBS USA Food Company, JBS USA Food Company Holdings, Swift Pork Company, and related or affiliated entities (“JBS”). In 2022, notice was provided regarding a settlement with Defendant Smithfield Foods, Inc. and related or affiliated entities (“Smithfield”). One of the recent Notices is for the Seaboard Foods Settlement, a new settlement within the same lawsuit. You may be a member of the Settlement Classes.

The Court has not decided whether Seaboard Foods did anything wrong, and Seaboard Foods denies any wrong-doing. Your legal rights are affected whether you act or do not act. Please read the notice carefully.

Your Legal Rights and Options in the Seaboard Foods Settlement
Legal Rights: Deadline:
Exclude Yourself

Get no settlement benefits, but keep any right to file your own lawsuit or be part of any other lawsuit against Seaboard Foods regarding the Released Claims (as defined in the Settlement Agreement).

Postmarked by:
November 29, 2024
Object

Write to the Court about why you do not like the Settlement.

Postmarked by:
November 29, 2024
Attend A Hearing

Ask to speak to the Court about the fairness of the Settlement.

Notice of Intention to Appear Postmarked by:
November 29, 2024
Do Nothing

You will remain part of the Settlement, and you may participate in any monetary distribution, which may happen later. The Settlement will resolve your legal claims against Seaboard Foods, and you will give up your rights to sue Seaboard Foods about the Released Claims (as defined in the Settlement Agreement). You will be bound by the judgment.

 

These rights and options are explained further on the FAQ page.