The chicken class action lawsuit, formally In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, is in its closing stages after producing hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements from nearly every major U.S. poultry producer. The deadline to file a claim was June 1, 2024, and no new claims are being accepted. A handful of settlements are still awaiting final court approval, with a fairness hearing for the Agri Stats settlement scheduled for September 1, 2026.1Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation. In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation
What the Lawsuit Alleged
The case accused the country’s largest chicken producers of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by coordinating to restrict chicken supply and push prices up.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 US Code 1 – Trusts, Etc., in Restraint of Trade Illegal; Penalty Instead of competing on price, producers allegedly exchanged confidential business data through a firm called Agri Stats, which the Department of Justice later sued directly. According to the DOJ, Agri Stats collected and distributed detailed weekly and monthly reports on pricing, costs, and production among processors accounting for more than 90% of broiler chicken sales in the country.3U.S. Department of Justice. Justice Department Sues Agri Stats for Operating Extensive Information Exchanges Among Meat Processors The plaintiffs also alleged manipulation of the Georgia Dock, a weekly benchmark price the state Department of Agriculture published based on self-reported data from the producers themselves. That index was discontinued in November 2016.
Who Settled and for How Much
Nearly every major poultry producer in the country has settled. The companies with final court approval include Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, Fieldale Farms, Peco, George’s, Amick, Mar-Jac, Harrison Poultry, Simmons, Mountaire, and O.K. Foods. A second wave of settlements has been preliminarily approved and is pending final approval: House of Raeford Farms, Koch Foods, Foster Farms, Perdue, Case Farms, Claxton Poultry, Wayne Farms, Sanderson Farms, and Agri Stats.1Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation. In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation
On the direct purchaser side alone, settlements totaled about $188.9 million as of mid-2023. Tyson paid $79.3 million and Pilgrim’s Pride $75 million, the two largest cash contributions.4Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. Order In Re Broiler Chicken – June 12, 2023 Not every defendant paid cash. Perdue settled through a waiver of costs, and Agri Stats agreed to change its data-sharing practices rather than contribute money.
Who Was Eligible
The litigation split class members by how they bought chicken. Direct purchasers were businesses that bought chicken straight from the defendants, such as grocery wholesalers and foodservice distributors. Their class period ran from December 1, 2008, through July 31, 2019. Indirect purchasers were everyone further down the chain: consumers, restaurants, and smaller retailers. The consumer class period ran from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2020.
For indirect purchasers, eligibility depended on where you lived during the class period. Federal antitrust damages are generally limited to direct purchasers under the Supreme Court’s decision in Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois.5Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center. Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois – 431 US 720 Roughly 33 states plus the District of Columbia have their own laws letting indirect purchasers recover, and the indirect purchaser settlements were limited to residents of those jurisdictions.6Chicken Commercial Settlement. Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs’ Plan of Allocation If you lived outside those states, the consumer settlements generally did not cover you.
Can You Still File a Claim?
No. The claim deadline was June 1, 2024, and there is no mechanism to file late.1Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation. In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation The consumer claim form, when it was open, required only basic contact information, residential history during the class period, and rough estimates of how many chicken purchases you made per month. No Social Security number was needed. That window is closed.
If You Already Filed, What Happens Next
Payments have already gone out on the first wave of settlements to direct purchasers, covering Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, Peco, George’s, Amick, and Fieldale Farms.1Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation. In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation Class counsel has indicated that proceeds from the later settlements will be combined with any future recoveries before another round of distributions, so claimants who filed on time may still see additional payments once the remaining defendants receive final approval.4Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. Order In Re Broiler Chicken – June 12, 2023
Individual consumer payouts tend to be small. Settlement funds are distributed pro rata, meaning each valid claimant receives a share proportional to their claimed purchases against the total pool. When millions of consumers file, that math produces modest checks even though the Clayton Act allows treble damages plus attorney fees in antitrust cases.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 15 – Suits by Persons Injured Direct purchasers, who are usually large businesses with documented buying histories, generally get larger checks than retail consumers.
The official sites remain the place to track your claim. Direct purchasers should check broilerchickenantitrustlitigation.com; consumers and other end users should use overchargedforchicken.com.
Objecting to the Remaining Settlements
The opt-out windows for prior settlements have closed. The Agri Stats settlement is different because it involves conduct reform rather than a cash payout, and class members cannot opt out of it. Class members who want to object to the Agri Stats settlement’s terms can file a written objection with the court by July 13, 2026. The fairness hearing is set for September 1, 2026, and if the court approves the settlement, its terms bind all class members who did not opt out.8overchargedforchicken.com. Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation Frequently Asked Questions
Once the court rules on the remaining preliminary settlements, including House of Raeford, Koch Foods, Foster Farms, Perdue, Case Farms, Claxton, Wayne Farms, Sanderson Farms, and Agri Stats, the case will be fully resolved between the plaintiffs and every defendant.