【Updated 2023.2】The eligible purchase period and filing deadlines for this lawsuit have changed, so here’s an update.
About this lawsuit
There’s another class action settlement, and this time it may apply to anyone who bought chicken. If you purchased chicken in one of the eligible states, you may qualify for compensation. No receipts or other proof are required to file a claim in this class action.
This lawsuit was brought by consumers against the largest chicken producers in the United States and covers many of the brands people commonly buy. The allegation is that these chicken producers conspired to fix prices, causing consumers to pay more for chicken than they would have in a fully competitive market. The case is titled In re: Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation. How much each claimant will receive is still unknown and will depend on the final claims process.
Eligibility
You may qualify to participate in the settlement if, between January 1, 2012 and July 31, 2019, you purchased chicken in one of the following states:
- California
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Rhode Island (only after July 15, 2013)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Wisconsin
Eligible purchases include whole chicken or chicken parts such as wings and breasts, but do not include products labeled halal, kosher, free range, or organic.
The chicken brand must be one of the following:
Fieldale, George’s, Mar-Jac, Peco, Pilgrim’s, and Tyson. “Non-Settling Defendants” refers to Agri Stats, Inc.;
Claxton Poultry Farms, Inc.; Foster Farms, LLC, and Foster Poultry Farms; Harrison Poultry, Inc. and House of Raeford
Farms, Inc.; JCG Foods of Alabama, LLC, JCG Foods of Georgia, LLC, Koch Foods, Inc., and Koch Meats Co., Inc.;
Mountaire Farms, Inc., Mountaire Farms, LLC, and Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc.; O.K. Foods, Inc., O.K. Farms,
Inc., and O.K. Industries, Inc.; Perdue Farms, Inc. and Perdue Foods LLC; Sanderson Farms, Inc., Sanderson Farms,
Inc. (Foods Division) , Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Processing Division) , and Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Production Division) ;
Wayne Farms, LLC; and Simmons Foods, Inc. and Simmons Prepared Foods, Inc.
Important dates
There are strict deadlines for filing a claim or taking other action:
- Claim period: September 11, 2021 to April 3, 2023
- Deadline to exclude yourself or object to the settlement: April 4, 2023
How to file a claim
You can file your claim on this website. The process is very simple: you only need to provide your personal information. No receipts are required. You just need to estimate how much chicken you bought each month.
Be sure to keep your phone number and email address active. When payments are eventually sent, you may receive a link by phone or email and then choose how you want to receive your payment.
Note that the claim period lasts a full year, so any payout would not happen until at least 2023. My suggestion is to submit the form and then just wait for payment.
If you’d like to learn more about how class actions work in the United States, see: