A federal judge on Monday gave preliminary approval to an agreement for Simmons Foods to pay direct poultry buyers $8 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the processor of price fixing, according to court documents.
The settlement arises out of the years-long Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, consisting of multiple lawsuits consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The lawsuits accuse the nation’s largest chicken processors of colluding to fix prices from 2008 to 2019.
Previous settlements have been reached with Tyson Foods (and subsidiaries); Pilgrim’s Pride Corp.; Peco Foods Inc.; George’s Inc. (and subsidiaries); Amick Farms LLC; Fieldale Farms Corp.; Mar-Jac Poultry LLC (and subsidiaries); and Harrison Poultry Inc. Adding the proposed Simmons settlement, total settlements in the direct purchaser plaintiffs’ case are about $188.9 million.
A final settlement fairness hearing for the Simmons case has been scheduled for Dec. 12. If approved, the company will pay nearly $8.02 million to resolve claims. Simmons has not admitted any liability and continues to deny legal claims alleged in the lawsuit.
Litigation will continue against 11 other defendants.
