Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, Handley Farah & Anderson PLLC, and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC Announce $202.7 Million in Settlements for Beef and Pork Processing Plant Workers

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Beef and Pork Processing Plant Workers Could Get Money from $202.7 Million in Settlements

SEATTLE and BERKELEY, Calif., March 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the law firms Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, Handley Farah & Anderson PLLC, and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC about the lawsuit Brown v. JBS USA Food Co., No. 1:22-cv-02946 in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

Settlements totaling $202.7 million have been reached in a lawsuit that says that some beef and pork companies agreed with each other to keep wages low for their beef and pork processing plant workers. It says that is against the law and caused workers to make less money than they should have.

The Defendant beef and pork companies in this lawsuit are: Agri Beef Co.; American Foods Group, LLC; Cargill, Inc.; Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation; Greater Omaha Packing Co., Inc.; Hormel Foods Corp.; Indiana Packers Corp.; Iowa Premium, LLC; JBS USA Food Company; National Beef Packing Co., LLC; Nebraska Beef, Ltd.; Perdue Farms, Inc.; Quality Pork Processors, Inc.; Rochelle Foods, LLC; Seaboard Foods, LLC; Smithfield Foods, Inc.; Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp.; Triumph Foods, LLC; Tyson Foods, Inc.; and Washington Beef, LLC. Two companies who helped the beef and pork companies exchange information who are also Defendants in this lawsuit are: Agri Stats, Inc. and Webber, Meng, Sahl, and Company, Inc.

Defendants deny these claims. Some Defendants have agreed to settlements to stop the lawsuit against them and avoid further costs and risks. The lawsuit continues against Agri Stats, Inc.; Greater Omaha Packing Company, Inc.; Smithfield Foods, Inc.; and Smithfield Packaged Meats Corporation.

Individuals are included in the main "Class" if they worked at any Defendant's beef or pork processing plants in the United States between January 1, 2000, and February 27, 2024. Anyone in the main Class is eligible for payment from settlements with nine Defendants that total $191.45 million.

Individuals may also be included in an additional smaller "Subclass" if they worked at any Defendant's beef or pork processing plants in the United States between January 1, 2014, and February 27, 2024.  Anyone in the Subclass is also eligible for payment from settlements with two additional Defendants that total $11.25 million.

The settlements will be used to pay included individuals, lawsuit costs, attorneys' fees, notice and administration costs, and Class Representative awards. Defendants who are settling also agreed to provide cooperation. 

Important Information and Dates:

• If individuals received a notice with a compensation amount, they do not need to do anything to get money, but they should update and add their contact, employment, and earnings information at the website, www.BeefPorkWages.com, by February 4, 2027.
  
  If individuals received a notice saying that their earnings information is not available or is incomplete, they should go to www.BeefPorkWages.com and select "Update Your Information" to provide their earnings information. They can also correct their earnings information. To get money, they must update their information by February 4, 2027.

• If included individuals did not receive a notice, they must submit a Participation Form online at www.BeefPorkWages.com or by mail by February 4, 2027, to get money.
  
  Money will be paid proportionally (or pro rata) to individuals in the Class and Subclass and may be subject to tax withholding. Payment amounts will depend on how many people are included, how long individuals worked for the Defendants' beef or pork processing plants, how much money they earned, and how much money the Court approves for the lawsuit costs, attorneys' fees, and Class Representative awards.

• Included individuals who want to keep their right to sue the Defendants on their own about the claims in this lawsuit must opt out by August 10, 2026.

• Included individuals may object to the settlements by August 10, 2026.

More information about how to opt out or object to the settlements is available at www.BeefPorkWages.com. 

• The Court will hold a hearing on October 2, 2026, to consider if it will approve the settlements and a request for attorneys' fees up to 33.33% of the settlements ($67,559,910) plus interest earned on that amount, costs up to $6 million, notice and administration costs up to $4 million, and up to a $30,000 award for each Class Representative.

For more information:

• Visit: www.BeefPorkWages.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 1-877-411-4775    
• Write to: Beef Pork Wages Settlement, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173052, Milwaukee, WI 53217

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, Handley Farah & Anderson PLLC and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC