pork products that could be part of the pork antitrust settlement
October 6, 2022

What to Know About the Pork Antitrust Settlement

If your business purchased any pork product directly from a producer for commercial food preparation or delivery in the United States from January 1, 2009, through January 12, 2021, you may be owed money. Two class-action settlements have been approved in an antitrust lawsuit against pork producers. The total settlement amount to date is $101,864,300. J.E. Lawrence and Company can help your business recover any money you are owed.

More information about this pork antitrust settlement:

Case Background

On June 29, 2018, the antitrust team at the Lockridge Grindal Nauen law firm filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of their client, alleging that pork producers engaged in anticompetitive conduct. Plaintiffs alleged that since 2009, pork producers artificially reduced the supply of pork for sale in the United States in order to increase prices. It is alleged that the defendants in this antitrust lawsuit coordinated supply reductions by sharing confidential information using Agri Stats, an information-sharing service. As a result of these actions, pork prices have been artificially inflated since 2009.

Settlements

To date, two of the defendants in the pork antitrust litigation have settled. These are Smithfield Foods, Inc. (“Smithfield”), and JBS USA Food Company, JBS USA Food Company Holdings, and Swift Pork Company (collectively, “JBS”). The final approved settlement amount is $77,364,400 for Smithfield and $24,500,000 for JBS, for a total of $101,864,300. The deadline to opt out of these settlements has passed. For the most up-to-date information about the pork antitrust settlement, check the official website.

If you engage J.E. Lawrence and Company, to manage your claim. They will file for you, keep you updated on any relevant news related to the settlement amount and fight to get you the refund you deserve. 

Who Is Affected?

Your business could be owed money if you purchased pork directly from the following companies or their subsidiaries between January 1, 2009, and January 12, 2021:

  • Clemens Food Group
  • Hormel Foods
  • Indiana Packers
  • JBS USA
  • Seaboard Foods
  • Smithfield Foods
  • Triumph Foods
  • Tyson Foods

How Can You File A Claim?

If your business is a class member in the pork antitrust settlement, you can file a claim directly. However, this process can be complicated and time-consuming, and you’ll need to keep up with any settlement developments. If you’d prefer to focus on running your business, contacting a claims recovery specialist is a wise move. At J.E. Lawrence and Company, our experts will help your business recover all of the money you are owed. Additionally, there are no upfront fees and we keep track of the settlement case as it develops, thereby minimizing the time and effort you would otherwise have to devote to keeping things on track. Our account executives will also keep you informed about any future claims for which you could be eligible.

Active Cases

In addition to the pork antitrust settlement, we are currently working with clients to recover claims in the Visa-Mastercard settlement, domestic airlines antitrust litigation, and others. We stay current with relevant business class action cases and help companies like yours recover the money they are owed.

To learn more about filing a claim in the pork antitrust settlement or another class-action case, contact us today.