Tyson Foods has agreed to pay direct claim plaintiffs $4.63 million to settle a civil action alleging collusion in the price of turkeys. The settlement will have to be approved by Judge Virginia M. Kendall of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Remaining defendants include Butterball, Cargill, Cooper Farms, Hormel Foods, Farbest Foods and Foster Farms. AgriStats as a non-producer defendant is at the center of allegations that the benchmark system facilitated what Plaintiffs consider a form of indirect collusion.
It is significant that in terms of the settlement, Tyson will provide "meaningful cooperation" to assist the direct purchase plaintiffs. Tyson will provide extensive documentation and communications among the defendants and supply any documents produced to a state Attorney General or the Department of Justice.
A similar agreement was negotiated in the broiler price fixing civil litigation when Fieldale Farms settled with plaintiffs and agreed to provide documentation and cooperation instrumental in negotiating some settlements in the civil case.