A Federal judge in the Minnesota Circuit overseeing the litigation relating to alleged fixing of prices of pork in a class action lawsuit considered that the proposed settlement by JBS USA is “fair, reasonable, adequate and in the best interest of the plaintiffs.” The plaintiffs comprising consumers (the indirect class) claimed that JBS and other pork producers colluded directly or indirectly in establishing prices for pork commencing in 2009. Payment of the $20 million was not an admission of guilt or that any laws were violated.
The present settlement to consumers follows a previous 2020 settlement of $25 million paid to direct purchasers of pork.