The Notice Company: If You Bought Chocolate Candy, A Class Action Settlement May Affect You

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 12, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania granted preliminary approval to a proposed class action settlement with Cadbury Holdings Ltd., Cadbury plc, and Cadbury Adams Canada, Inc.  The litigation is continuing against the remaining defendants: Hershey Canada, Inc., The Hershey Company, Mars, Inc., Mars Snackfood U.S., LLC and Nestle U.S.A., Inc.  

The lawsuit involves allegations that defendants engaged in an unlawful conspiracy to fix, raise, maintain or stabilize the prices of chocolate candy in violation of federal and state antitrust laws.  The defendants deny these allegations.  "Chocolate Candy" refers to chocolate bars and other chocolate confectionery products made by any defendant and packaged to be sold at retail.

You may be a member of the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs Settlement Class if you purchased Chocolate Candy in the United States directly from any defendant from December 9, 2002 through December 20, 2007. You may be a member of the Indirect End User Plaintiffs Settlement Class if you purchased, in the United States or Guam, Chocolate Candy from someone other than a defendant (such as at a retail store) for end use (personal consumption or gifts) and not for resale, from December 9, 2002 through December 20, 2007. If you made both direct and indirect purchases of Chocolate Candy, you may be a member of both settlement classes.

The settlements provide for the payment by Cadbury of $250,000 in cash to the Indirect End User Plaintiffs, and $1,312,500 in cash to the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs. It also provides for $250,000 to pay for notice of the settlements to all settlement classes. Cadbury has also agreed to provide certain cooperation in the prosecution of the litigation against the remaining Defendants.  

For more details regarding the proposed class action settlements, visit www.ChocolateSettlementDirect.com and www.ChocolateSettlementIndirect.com.  Class members may opt out of the settlements by October 21, 2011, or file objections by November 28, 2011.  

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing at 10:30 a.m. on December 12, 2011, at 228 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17108.

For additional information about the Indirect Purchaser settlement, you may write to Chocolate Settlement Indirect, c/o The Notice Company, PO Box 455, Hingham, MA 02043.

SOURCE The Notice Company

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