If you or your company purchased Foodservice-Size Packaged Tuna products (40-oz or larger) from DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, or Costco between June 1, 2011 and December 31, 2016, you may be affected by a Class Action

PHILADELPHIA, April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP regarding a class action litigation and settlement in the Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation.

What is this about?

The lawsuit, known as In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 15-2670 (S.D. Cal.), alleges that Defendants Tri-Union Seafoods, LLC d/b/a Chicken of the Sea International and Thai Union Group PCL (collectively, "COSI" Defendants") along with Defendants Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, StarKist Co., and certain related parent entities of Bumble Bee and StarKist (collectively "Defendants") conspired to fix, raise, and maintain the prices of Packaged Tuna Products and that this resulted in purchasers paying more than they otherwise would have. While denying liability, the COSI Defendants have collectively agreed to a Settlement with the CFP Class and the Court has given Final Approval to the Settlement. Additionally, the Court has certified a Litigation Class in the lawsuit.

On July 30, 2019, the District Court certified a class of all persons and entities who reside in the District of Columbia and the states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin (referred to as the "Commercial Food Preparer Plaintiffs" or "CFPs") who indirectly purchased packaged tuna products produced in packages of 40 ounces or more that were manufactured by any Defendant (or any current or former subsidiary or any affiliate thereof) and that were purchased directly from DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, or Costco (other than inter-company purchases among these distributors) from June 2011 through December 2016 (the "Class Period").

Who is a Class Member?

You are a Class Member if you are a purchaser of Foodservice-Size Packaged Tuna Products manufactured by any Defendant (or any current or former subsidiary or any affiliate thereof) from DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, or Costco from June 1, 2011 through December 31, 2016 and resided in one of the states or territory listed above.

What happens next?

The Court has not decided whether Defendants' alleged wrongdoing had any impact on the CFPs. Defendants deny the CFPs' allegations and have asserted defenses to the CFPs' claims. COSI settled with the CFPs to avoid litigation risks, costs, and inconvenience. Notice about the COSI Settlement was already issued. This notice update has a dual purpose: to inform CFP Class members about the certification of the litigation class and of their opportunity to opt out of that class, if they choose to do so, and also to inform CFP Settlement Class members that the claims process for the COSI Settlement is beginning now. Bumble Bee filed for bankruptcy protection. The litigation is continuing with StarKist, DWI, Lion Capital, Lion America, and Big Catch (the "Non-Settling Defendants"). The Court has indicated that it intends to set dates for the trial in the near future. Payments for the COSI Settlement will be distributed after the trial with Non- Settling Defendants.

What are my rights?

• Do Nothing: You will lose your right to sue Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, StarKist Company, and certain related parent entities of Bumble Bee and StarKist for these claims in a separate action. You also will not receive payment from the COSI Settlement, if you do not file a claim and are not in the data received from DOT or US Foods.
  
  
• Exclude Yourself from the Litigation Class: Receive no benefits from any future litigation or settlements in this Action by excluding yourself from the Litigation Class. You will keep your right to sue Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, StarKist Co., and certain related parent entities of Bumble Bee and StarKist for these claims in a separate action; however, you will not be part of any further Settlements or recoveries in this matter. If you excluded yourself from the COSI Settlement and want to be excluded from all future Settlements and recoveries in this matter, you must exclude yourself from the Litigation Class. All exclusions must be postmarked by June 21, 2023.
  
  
• File a Claim: To receive payment from the COSI Settlement, you must file a Claim and include proof of the purchases you claim, unless you receive a postcard that notes your purchase values from DOT or US Foods. If you receive a postcard that notes your purchases from DOT or US Foods, you do not need to file a claim if you agree with the purchase values. If you do not agree with the purchase values, then you must file a claim with documentation to substantiate your claimed amount of purchases. You can file a claim online or by mail postmarked by June 21, 2023. If you file a valid and timely claim in the COSI Settlement, your payment will be distributed AFTER the litigation with the Non-Settling Defendants is resolved. Please be patient.

Further information about Excluding yourself from the Litigation Class and filing a Claim can be found on the website, www.PackagedSeafoodAntitrustCFPClass.com. Call 1-833-927-0821 or write: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation – CFP Class, c/o Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324.

SOURCE Kroll Settlement Administration