Pork Commercial Indirect Purchasers Settlement

If you purchased uncooked pork bacon, fresh or frozen loins, shoulders, ribs, hams, or pork chops in the United States between June 28, 2014, and June 30, 2018, for business use in commercial food preparation, you may be eligible to claim compensation from a class action settlement.

Seaboard Foods and Hormel Foods have agreed to pay $7,389,000, in aggregate, to settle a class action lawsuit for allegedly conspiring to suppress competition and inflate pork prices.

Note that these settlements do not include other defendants with pending litigation.

Who are the class members?

To be a class member, you must have purchased specific pork products indirectly for commercial food preparation in the United States between June 28, 2014, and June 30, 2018.

The eligible products include:

• Uncooked pork bacon
• Raw pork loins, shoulders, ribs, hams, or pork chops

These products must have been purchased from defendants or "co-conspirators".

The settlement class is divided into two categories:

• Injunctive Class: This includes all entities nationwide that purchased the specified pork products.
• Damages Class: This includes members in certain jurisdictions eligible for monetary recovery.

The jurisdictions eligible for the Damages Class, known as "Repealer Jurisdictions," include: Arkansas, Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Certain groups are excluded from the class:

• Individuals purchasing pork for personal use
• Direct purchasers from defendants
• Entities involved in further processing or resale of pork

How much can class members get?

The total settlement fund of $7,389,000 will be allocated after deducting attorneys' fees, class representative service awards, and administrative costs. The remaining amount will be distributed to class members.

• Injunctive Class Members: Will not receive a direct monetary award but benefit from non-monetary relief.
• Damages Class Members: Eligible for monetary compensation, subject to the net settlement fund calculation.

Is there money available now?

There is no money available at this time. Settlement funds will be distributed after the other lawsuits with remaining defendants are resolved.

Important dates

• Fairness Hearing: December 10, 2024
• Deadline to File a Claim: Not yet available

Why is there a class action settlement?

The lawsuit alleges that Seaboard Foods and other pork producers conspired to fix pork prices, violating federal and state antitrust laws. The settlement avoids prolonged litigation and provides compensation to affected parties.