On May 27, 2022, Judge Thomas M. Durkin issued an Order certifying a class of direct purchasers defined as: “All persons who purchased raw Broilers [directly] from any of the Defendants or their respective subsidiaries or affiliates either fresh or frozen, in the form of: whole birds (with or without giblets), whole cut-up birds, or parts (boneless or bone in) derived from the front half of the whole bird, for use or delivery in the United States from December 1, 2008 until July 31, 2019.” (the “Certified Class”).

The Notice provides Class Members with an opportunity to opt out of the Certified Class defined above. If you exclude yourself from the Certified Class, you may not be able to recover any award from any future settlements or judgments obtained by the lawyers for the Class, if settlements or judgments occur. At this time, there is no claim form, plan of distribution, or Class Counsel fees or expenses to be addressed. The Certified Class does not affect the previous settlements reached in this litigation. The trial for the Certified Class is currently scheduled to start on September 11, 2023.


This class action, In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, N.D. Ill. Case No. 1:16-cv-08637, is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Durkin presides over this class action.

Plaintiffs allege that Defendants and their Co-Conspirators conspired to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the price of Broilers, beginning at least as early as January 1, 2008. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants implemented their conspiracy in various ways, including via coordinated supply restrictions, sharing competitively sensitive price and production information, and otherwise manipulating Broiler prices, with the intent and expected result of increasing prices of Broilers in the United States, in violation of federal antitrust laws. Defendants deny the violation and deny causing damages.

The Court previously gave final approval to settlements between the Plaintiffs and Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, Fieldale Farms, Peco, George’s, Mar-Jac, Harrison Poultry, and Amick. The Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs’ case is proceeding against all other Defendants who have not settled the case, known as the “Non-Settling Defendants.”


"Non-Settling Defendants" refers to Koch Foods, Inc.; JCG Foods of Alabama, LLC; JCG Foods of Georgia, LLC; Koch Meat Co., Inc.; Perdue Farms, Inc.; Perdue Foods LLC; Sanderson Farms, Inc.; Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Foods Division); Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Production Division); Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Processing Division); Wayne Farms, LLC; Mountaire Farms, Inc.; Mountaire Farms, LLC; Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc.; Foster Farms, LLC; Foster Poultry Farms; House of Raeford Farms, Inc.; Simmons Foods, Inc.; Simmons Prepared Foods, Inc.; O.K. Foods, Inc.; O.K. Farms, Inc.; O.K. Industries, Inc.; Norman W. Fries, Inc. d/b/a Claxton Poultry Farms; Case Foods, Inc.; Case Farms, LLC; Case Farms Processing, Inc.; Agri Stats, Inc.


Beyond the eight settlements noted above, there are no additional settlements or judgments at this time. There is no guarantee that additional settlements will be reached or that a judgment in favor of Plaintiffs will be entered by the Court.

Your legal rights are affected whether you act or don’t act. Please read the information on this website and in the notice carefully. Additional information about eligibility, the Settlements, the lawsuit, and important Court documents may be found on the Court Documents and FAQ pages of this website.