Poultry Producer Settlements Totaling Nearly $400M Resolve Lawsuit Over Alleged Wage-Suppression Conspiracy

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Nearly two dozen major chicken producers have agreed to settlements totaling more than $398 million that will resolve a proposed class action lawsuit over an alleged conspiracy among the companies to suppress employee wages.

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The official website for the chicken companies class action settlements can be found at PoultryWages.com. The website was not yet fully functional at the time of this post, so be sure to check back as it is updated to get the latest information about the deals.

The settlements cover individuals who were employed by any of the following companies or their subsidiaries or affiliates at poultry processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills and/or poultry complexes in the United States at any time between January 1, 2000 and July 20, 2021: Allen Harim Foods, LLC; Amick Farms, LLC; Butterball, LLC; Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation; Case Farms, LLC; Case Foods, Inc.; Fieldale Farms Corporation; Foster Poultry Farms; George’s Foods, LLC; George’s, Inc.; Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc.; Keystone Foods, LLC; Koch Foods, Inc.; Mountaire Farms, Inc.; O.K. Foods, Inc.; Peco Foods, Inc.; Perdue Farms, Inc.; Perdue Foods LLC; Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation; Sanderson Farms, Inc.; Simmons Foods, Inc.; Tyson Foods, Inc.; and Wayne Farms, LLC.

Notably, the settlements do not cover complex and plant managers, human resources managers and staff, office clerical staff, guards, watchmen and salespersons.

You will be able to check if you are a class member by searching for your information on the settlement website or contacting the settlement administrator.

Related Reading: Perdue, Tyson Among Chicken Producers Accused of Conspiring to Suppress Employee Wages

According to the site, if you received a postcard settlement notice in the mail or via email, you do not need to do anything to get a share of the deals. However, it is recommended that you still update and/or add your contact, employment and earnings information to ensure you receive your full settlement payout, the website adds.

You will be able to update or add these details online on this page. You will need your unique ID and PIN, which can be found on the personalized notice you received.

If you did not receive a settlement notice, you must submit a timely, valid participation form online or by mail to be eligible for a payment. You will be able to submit a participation form online on this page, or you may print and return it by mail to the settlement administrator.

Settlement payments will be issued to eligible class members on a pro rata basis, the website says. Individual payout amounts will depend on the number of class members, how long an employee worked for a company and how much they earned, the site explains.

Most recently, on February 11, 2025, the court preliminarily approved the deals with Allen Harim Foods, Amick Farms, Butterball, Fieldale Farms, Foster Poultry Farms, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Koch Foods, O.K. Foods, Tyson and Keystone Foods. The other settlements received preliminary court approval on various dates throughout 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The parties now await final approval of the terms of the respective settlements at an upcoming hearing scheduled for July 28, 2025. Settlement payouts will be issued to eligible class members only if the deals are ultimately approved and after any appeals are resolved, the website notes.

The poultry producers lawsuit, first filed in 2019, claimed the companies unlawfully conspired to suppress wages and benefits and fix competition among their non-supervisory production and maintenance employees. As part of the settlements, each defendant has agreed to pay the following amounts, totaling $398,050,000:

• Allen Harim Foods: $5 million;
• Amick Farms: $6.25 million;
• Butterball: $8.5 million;
• Cargill Meat Solutions: $15 million;
• Case Farms and Case Foods: $8.5 million;
• Fieldale Farms: $5.5 million;
• Foster Poultry Farms: $13.3 million;
• George’s: $5.8 million;
• Jennie-O Turkey Store: $3.5 million;
• Koch Foods: $18.5 million;
• Mountaire Farms: $13.5 million;
• O.K. Foods: $4.75 million;
• Peco Foods: $3 million;
• Perdue Farms and Perdue Foods: $60.65 million;
• Pilgrim’s Pride: $29 million;
• Sanderson Farms: $38.3 million;
• Simmons Foods: $12 million;
• Tyson and Keystone Foods: $115.5 million; and
• Wayne Farms: $31.5 million.

Per the website, defendant Webber, Meng, Sahl and Company, Inc. (WMS) settled without payment, instead providing “important cooperation” for the benefit of the class. Litigation continues against defendant Agri Stats, the only defendant that has not settled.

Did you know that some class action settlements require no proof to submit a claim? Check out the latest open class action settlements.