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Antitrust Suit Against Tyson Dismissed

1 min read

A federal judge in Illinois dismissed an antitrust lawsuit filed against Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale.

Thomas Durkin of the U.S. District Court For the Northern District of Illinois on Oct. 19 dismissed the claims brought by several national grocers, including Kroger and Publix, that Tyson Foods conspired with other poultry producers to fix prices for broiler chickens. Broiler is a term used for a chicken that is raised for meat production.

The original class-action direct purchaser suit was filed in September 2016 by Maplevale Farms Inc. of Falconer, New York. Later lawsuits were filed by indirect purchasers and end users, which the court consolidated under one action.

Tyson Foods agreed in January 2021 to pay $221.5 million to settle the claims, while the company didn’t admit liability. All plaintiffs and Tyson Foods agreed to Durkin’s dismissal order.

On Monday, Durkin dismissed a suit filed by Walmart Inc. of Bentonville against Pilgrim’s Pride on the same price-fixing issue. Both parties requested and agreed to the dismissal.

Neither suit dismissal affects the plaintiff’s claims against other poultry producers.

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