Additional settlements have been reached in a class action antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs (“Plaintiffs”) of Broiler chicken. The new settlements are with Defendants Simmons Foods, Inc. and Simmons Prepared Foods, Inc. (collectively, “Simmons”); Mountaire Farms Inc., Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc., and Mountaire Farms, LLC (collectively, “Mountaire”); and O.K. Foods, Inc., O.K. Farms, Inc., and O.K. Industries, Inc. (collectively, “O.K. Foods” and with Simmons and Mountaire the “New Settling Defendants” and “New Settlements”).


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, Amick, Mar-Jac, and Harrison Poultry. The Court has now preliminarily approved settlements with Simmons, Mountaire, and O.K. Foods. The Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs’ case is proceeding against all other Defendants who have not settled the case. If applicable, you will receive a separate notice regarding any resolution of claims against other Defendants.


"Non-Settling Defendants"refers to Sanderson Farms, Inc.; Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Foods Division); Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Production Division); and Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Processing Division).

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.