Chicken Lawsuit: $203M Settlement, Eligibility, and Payouts

The chicken lawsuit settlement refers to $203.35 million that major U.S. poultry producers agreed to pay to end-user consumers who bought raw chicken during roughly a decade of alleged price-fixing. If you filed a claim, no money has gone out yet. The claims period closed on July 31, 2025, and the administrator, A.B. Data, Ltd., is auditing the first round of settlements while the court weighs an objection to class counsel’s attorneys’ fees.¹

What the Lawsuit Alleged

The consolidated case, In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation (No. 1:16-cv-08637), was filed on September 14, 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Thomas M. Durkin.² Plaintiffs accused the country’s largest chicken producers of coordinating to cut production and inflate prices from roughly 2008 or 2009 through 2019, and of sharing competitively sensitive pricing and production data through a company called Agri Stats, Inc.³

Nineteen chicken producers were named as defendants, including Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, Perdue Farms, Sanderson Farms, Koch Foods, and Foster Farms. Together, participating processors accounted for more than 90% of U.S. broiler chicken sales, so the alleged conspiracy touched almost every raw chicken product sold in the country.³

Who Was Eligible to File a Consumer Claim

The end-user consumer class covered individuals who bought raw chicken products, including whole birds, cut-up birds, and white-meat parts such as breasts and wings, during the class period in roughly two dozen eligible states. Specialty chicken marketed as halal, kosher, free-range, or organic did not qualify.⁴ Claimants did not need receipts; the claim form relied on self-reported purchase estimates.

How the $203.35 Million Breaks Down

The consumer settlements came in two rounds. The first, approved in December 2021, totaled $181 million from six defendants:²

Tyson Foods — $99 million
Pilgrim’s Pride — $75.5 million
Peco Foods — $1.9 million
George’s Inc. — $1.9 million
Fieldale Farms — $1.7 million
Mar-Jac — $1 million

A second round received final approval on June 30, 2025, adding $22.35 million from a group that included Koch Foods, House of Raeford, Mountaire, and Simmons.⁵ Several other defendants, including Claxton, Foster Farms, Wayne Farms, and Perdue, resolved their part of the consumer case by waiving costs rather than paying into the fund.²

A separate agreement with Agri Stats received preliminary approval on April 15, 2026. It adds no money to the consumer fund; it requires Agri Stats to stop or significantly modify the benchmarking reports it provided to chicken producers.⁵

When Will You Get Paid?

There is no scheduled payment date. As of mid-2026, A.B. Data is still auditing claims from the first round of settlements, and distribution is on hold pending the court’s ruling on an objection to class counsel’s attorneys’ fees. The official settlement site tells claimants only that “this process can take time.”¹

How Much to Expect

No fixed per-person amount has been set. Individual payouts will depend on the volume and price of chicken each claimant reported buying and on how many valid claims are filed in total. After the court approves fees and expenses, what remains gets divided among eligible claimants on a proportional basis.⁶ Because millions of consumers were eligible and claims did not require receipts, most individual checks are expected to be modest.

What Claimants Need to Do

Nothing, if you already filed. Anyone who submitted a valid claim before the July 31, 2025 deadline will be automatically included in the distribution when it begins. The claims window is closed, so new claims are no longer being accepted. For status updates, check www.overchargedforchicken.com or call the administrator at 1-877-888-5428.¹

Other Settlements That Don’t Pay Consumers

Several related recoveries are often confused with the consumer settlement but are entirely separate. On May 27, 2022, the court certified three plaintiff classes in the federal case, and the consumer class is only one of them.⁵

The Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser class, which covered restaurants and similar businesses, recovered more than $146 million across two rounds and fully resolved in July 2025.⁷ The Direct Purchaser Plaintiff class, made up of entities that bought chicken directly from the producers, recovered roughly $284.65 million.⁸ Neither track pays individual grocery shoppers.

A separate Washington state action brought by Attorney General Bob Ferguson recovered $37.7 million, but that money is for Washington state, not for a national consumer distribution.⁹

The Department of Justice’s parallel criminal case produced one corporate guilty plea: Pilgrim’s Pride was sentenced in February 2021 to pay a roughly $107.9 million criminal fine.¹⁰ That fine is government revenue, not compensation for consumers. Ten individual executives were charged, but none were convicted, and the DOJ dismissed its remaining indictment against Koch Foods in September 2022.¹¹

Where the Case Stands

As of mid-2026, the consumer settlement fund of $203.35 million exists and all defendants in the end-user track have either settled or otherwise resolved their claims. The money sits with the administrator while claims are audited and the fee objection is decided. Once the court rules and the audit finishes, distributions to eligible claimants can begin. Until then, valid claims stay on file and require no further action.¹

1
OverchargedForChicken.com. FAQ
2
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation
3
U.S. Department of Justice. Justice Department Sues Agri Stats
4
WRAL. Broiler Chicken Antitrust Settlement
5
Cohen Milstein. In Re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation
6
ClassAction.org. $203M Broiler Chicken Settlements Resolve Antitrust Lawsuit
7
Gustafson Gluek PLLC. Judge Grants Final Approval of Second Round of Settlements
8
The Brooks Institute. Broiler Chicken Antitrust Settlement
9
Seattle Medium. Chicken Price-Fixing Case Settled
10
U.S. Department of Justice. One of Nation’s Largest Chicken Producers Pleads Guilty
11
K&L Gates. KL Gates Secures Victory for Koch Foods