Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, Handley Farah & Anderson PLLC, and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC Announce $398.05 Million in Settlements for Poultry Processing Workers

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SEATTLE, March 21, 2025 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- 

Poultry Processing Workers Could Get Money from $398.05 Million in Settlements

(Berkeley, CA) – 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 Jien v. Perdue Farms, No. 1:19-cv-002521 in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

Settlements totaling $398.05 million have been reached in a lawsuit that says that some poultry companies talked to each other about how much to pay their workers in a way that is against the law and allowed them to pay workers less money than they should have. Defendant poultry companies in this lawsuit include Tyson Foods, Inc.; Keystone Foods, LLC; Pilgrim's Pride Corporation; Perdue Farms, Inc.; Perdue Foods, Inc.; Sanderson Farms, Inc.; Koch Foods, Inc.; Wayne Farms, LLC; Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation; Mountaire Farms, Inc.; Simmons Foods, Inc.; Fieldale Farms Corporation; George's, LLC; George's Foods, LLC; George's, Inc.; Peco Foods, Inc.; Foster Poultry Farms; Case Foods, Inc.; Case Farms, LLC; O.K. Foods, Inc.; Allen Harim Food, LLC; Amick Farms, LLC; Butterball, LLC; Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc.; 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 to avoid further costs and risks. The lawsuit continues against one Defendant, Agri Stats, Inc.

Individuals are included in the main "Class" if they worked at any Defendant's poultry processing complexes, plants, hatcheries, or feed mills in the United States at any point from January 1, 2000, until July 20, 2021. Anyone in the main Class is eligible for payment from settlements with 20 Defendants totaling $363.25 million.

Individuals may also be included in an additional smaller "Subclass" if they worked at any Defendant's poultry plants in the United States at any point from January 1, 2009, until July 20, 2021. Anyone in the Subclass is eligible for an additional payment from settlements with three additional Defendants totaling $34.8 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.PoultryWages.com, by October 29, 2025.
  
  If individuals received a notice saying that their earnings information is not available or is incomplete, they should go to www.PoultryWages.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 October 29, 2025.
  
  
• If included individuals did not receive a notice, they must submit a Participation Form online at www.PoultryWages.com or by mail by October 29, 2025, 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, 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 May 27, 2025.
  
  
• Included individuals may object to the settlements by May 27, 2025.

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

• The Court will hold a hearing on June 5, 2025, to consider if it will approve the settlements and a request for attorneys' fees up to one-third of the settlements ($132,670,065) plus interest earned on that amount, costs up to $8 million, and up to a $30,000 award for each of the Class Representatives.

For more information:

• Visit: www.PoultryWages.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 1-877-311-3745
• Write to: Poultry Wages Settlement, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173016, Milwaukee, WI 53217

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