$169M IN CHICKEN GROWER SETTLEMENTS IS LARGEST EVER FOR GROWERS AGAINST CHICKEN COMPANIES

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Aug 20, 2024, 12:15 ET

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Berger Montague obtained a $100 million settlement with major chicken processor, Pilgrim's Pride Corp., acting as co-lead counsel on behalf of a class of chicken farmers or "growers" in an antitrust alleging that the major chicken processing companies conspired to suppress the pay of chicken growers. This settlement follows $69 million in settlements with four other major chicken processors: Tyson, Sanderson Farms, Koch Foods, and Perdue. The plaintiffs alleged that these companies conspired to suppress the grower's pay by illegally sharing confidential grower compensation data and illegally conspiring not to recruit each other's growers.

"This is a great outcome for these chicken farmers," said Eric L. Cramer, Chairperson of Berger Montague. "We believe this is the largest payment ever obtained from the chicken processors on behalf of growers," added Daniel Walker, a Shareholder in the firm's Antitrust Practice Area.

The plaintiffs achieved certification of a nationwide plaintiff class in 2024 and were preparing for trial when the plaintiffs settled with the last defendant in July 2024.

For more information on the litigation visit www.bergermontague.com/chicken-grower.

Berger Montague is one of the nation's preeminent law firms focusing on complex civil litigation, class actions, and mass torts in federal and state courts throughout the United States. The firm is active in the fields of antitrust, commercial litigation, consumer protection, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities, and whistleblower cases, among many other practice areas. For more than 50 years, Berger Montague has played lead roles in precedent-setting cases and has recovered over $60 billion for its clients and the classes they have represented. Berger Montague is headquartered in Philadelphia and has offices in Chicago, Minneapolis, San Diego, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington.