One may find poultry in practically every culture’s cuisine in the United States. It is a major industry, not just in the United States, but all across the world. At any given time, the United States is likely to have roughly 518 million chickens waiting to be processed. However, there may have been some recent antics in the poultry sector. For the past decade, a class-action complaint contends that the price of chicken has been fixed and overpriced.
The Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation explains how some of the country’s top chicken producers have been fixing prices for over ten years. The class-action complaint, which is in the courts for approval, demands $181 million in damages.
The backstory
You’ll have to go through some thick court records to see the case’s merits. The plaintiffs argue that many poultry processors in the United States “conspired to restrict the supply of, and fix, raise, and stabilize the price of chicken” as blatantly as possible.
This implies that many businesses in the industry take it upon themselves to control the supply and demand chain, as well as the price of the chicken. The list of companies participating is lengthy, but those that agree to settle the dispute (if it comes to that) are below.
- Fieldale
- George’s
- Mar-Jac
- Peco
- Pilgrim’s
- Tyson
There are around 25 non-settling defendants who will refuse to pay any claims that may arise as a result of the litigation. Wayne Farms, Mountaire Farms, Koch Foods, and Perdue Farms are among the involved corporations.
How to get a piece of the chicken lawsuit
If you match certain conditions, you may be eligible to join the class-action lawsuit. If it succeeds, you may go for compensation as a result of the court case. According to the court filings, you may be a member of the settlement class if you meet the following criteria:
- You indirectly purchased fresh or frozen raw chicken from the companies listed
- This excludes chicken that is halal, kosher, free range, or organic
- If you purchased the chicken between January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2020
The term “chicken” is defined in the case as “whole birds, or whole cut-up birds within a package”. White meat portions such as breasts and wings are also included.
To be eligible, you had to buy chicken in California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island (after July 15, 2013), South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin from January 1, 2009 (except for Rhode Island, which is from July 15, 2013), to July 31, 2019.
