Gustafson Gluek PLLC, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, Hartley LLP and Hausfeld LLP Announce a Notice of Class Action Settlement if You Purchased Beef Directly from a Beef Producer from January 1, 2015 through February 10, 2022

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

COURT-APPROVED LEGAL NOTICE

If you purchased Boxed or Case-Ready Beef directly from Cargill, JBS, National Beef, or Tyson in the United States from January 1, 2015, through February 10, 2022, you may be eligible to receive a payment from a class action settlement.

Para una notificacion in español, llame gratis al 1-877-331-0717
o visite nuestro website www.BeefDirectPurchaserSettlement.com.

A Settlement has been finally approved in a class action antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of Direct Purchasers of Beef in the United States with JBS S.A., JBS USA Food Company, Swift Beef Company, and JBS Packerland, Inc. (collectively, "JBS") and their related or affiliated entities (collectively "Settled Defendants"). The finally approved amount of the JBS Settlement is $52,500,000 (the "Settlement Proceeds").

The Settlement with JBS has been given final approval by the Court and the deadline to object or opt out of the Settlement has passed. This notice informs Settlement Class Members how to make a claim to receive money from the JBS Settlement. Please follow the claims instructions in the Distribution Notice and Claim Form, available at www.BeefDirectPurchaserSettlement.com, to receive money from the Settlement.

Additionally, the Direct Purchaser Plaintiff Class Representatives and Co-Lead Counsel will ask the Court to award payment of attorneys' fees and service awards for the Class Representatives. If approved by the Court, these amounts will be deducted from the Settlement Proceeds.

Who is Included?

The Court decided that, for settlement purposes, members of the Settlement Class for the JBS Settlement are defined as: All persons and entities who, from January 1, 2015 through February 10, 2022, purchased for use or delivery in the United States, directly from any of the Defendants or their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, boxed or case-ready beef processed from Fed Cattle, excluding ground beef made from culled cows, subject to certain exclusions. If you are not sure if you are included, you can get more information, including a detailed notice, at www.BeefDirectPurchaserSettlement.com or by calling toll-free 1-877-331-0717.

How Can I File A Claim To Get A Payment From The Settlement?

To be eligible to receive a payment from the Settlement, you must complete and submit a timely Claim Form by March 4, 2024. If you do not submit a valid Claim Form by the deadline, you will not receive a payment from the Settlement, but you will be bound by the Court's judgment in these actions.

Claim Forms for known Settlement Class Members were sent by U.S. Mail and were pre-populated, where possible, to reflect the amount of your Beef purchases from each Defendant, based on a review of Defendants' records. If you have a pre-populated claim form, you may use your personal Unique ID Number listed on your Claim Form to log in at www.BeefDirectPurchaserSettlement.com, where you can submit a claim and review your purchase information electronically. You can accept the purchase amounts that are pre-populated or, if you disagree with those amounts, you can challenge them by completing the Purchase Audit Request Form posted on the Settlement Website and providing supporting documentation. All revised Beef purchase amounts will require actual documentation evidencing the entirety of the revised purchase amounts being claimed and will be subject to a review process by the Settlement Administrator, Co-Lead Counsel, and ultimately, the Court.

You can also request that a Claim Form be sent to you by visiting the Settlement Website or by sending a written request to the Settlement Administrator by mail: DPP Beef Litigation, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173066, Milwaukee, WI 53217; or by email: [email protected].

What are your Rights and Options?

You will not have to pay any attorneys' fees or costs out-of-pocket. Co-Lead Counsel will file a motion by January 30, 2024, in which they will seek amounts not to exceed 33⅓% of the Settlement Proceeds in attorneys' fees and $15,000 in service awards for each of the Class Representative Plaintiffs. A copy of the motion for payment of attorneys' fees and service awards will be available on the Settlement Website, www.BeefDirectPurchaserSettlement.com, and on the Court docket. The Court will determine the amount of the attorneys' fees and Class Representative service awards to be paid. You may object to the motion for interim payment of attorneys' fees and service awards and must do so by March 4, 2024. The detailed Distribution Notice explains how to object. The Court will hold a hearing in this case (In re Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation, et al., Case No. 20-cv-01319 JRT-HB) on April 1, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., to consider whether to approve the motion.  You may ask to speak at the hearing, but you don't have to.

Source(s):
Gustafson Gluek PLLC
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP
Hartley LLP
Hausfeld LLP

SOURCE Gustafson Gluek PLLC, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, Hartley LLP and Hausfeld LLP