Home of Raeford has agreed to a $460,000 settlement in a lawsuit wherein Washington Lawyer Common Bob Ferguson accused the corporate of conspiring with different poultry firms in an effort to drive up the value of rooster.
The settlement was introduced by Ferguson’s workplace on January 3.
By signing the settlement, Home of Raeford agreed to cooperate with the Lawyer Common’s Workplace to supply related to the case in opposition to the opposite alleged co-conspirators. The corporate can also be required to conduct inner coaching and certify that its company insurance policies make sure that firm follows state and federal antitrust legal guidelines. Below the phrases of the consent decree, if Home of Raeford engages in price-fixing or different anticompetitive conduct within the subsequent 5 years, the Lawyer Common’s Workplace can go to court docket to hunt additional civil penalties.
““Home of Raeford Farms denies and has persistently denied that it violates or violated any Federal or State antitrust or enterprise practices legal guidelines. The Consent Decree particularly stipulates in Paragraph 2.2 that the Firm denies all allegations and denies that it engaged in any wrongdoing,” a consultant for the corporate mentioned in an e-mailed assertion to WATTPoultry.com.
Many settle in antitrust lawsuit
In October 2021, Ferguson filed a lawsuit in opposition to the next firms: Tyson Meals, Pilgrim’s Satisfaction, Sanderson Farms, Perdue Farms, Koch Meals, Mountaire Farms, Wayne Farms, Amick Farms, George’s, Peco Meals, Home of Raeford, Fieldale Farms, Case Meals, Mar-Jac Poultry, Claxton Poultry Farms, Simmons Meals, O.Okay. Meals, Harrison Poultry and Agri Stats. Wayne Farms and Sanderson Farms have since merged into one mixed firm, Wayne-Sanderson Farms.
All however two of the 19 firms named within the lawsuit have reached an settlement with the Lawyer Common. A trial in opposition to the 2 remaining firms, Foster Farms and Wayne-Sanderson Farms, is scheduled for October 2024, the press launch famous.
“Because of company greed and unlawful price-fixing, Washingtonians paid extra for rooster with out realizing it,” Ferguson mentioned. “We’re holding accountable these accountable, and getting a refund to Washington households who had been most harmed. We’ll proceed to function a power for financial justice for Washingtonians.”
Ferguson plans to distribute any funds collected from the antitrust lawsuit to Washington state households whose revenue is at or under 175% of the federal poverty line.
