If you are a peanut farmer who sold raw, harvested runner peanuts to Golden Peanut Company LLC, Birdsong Corporation, Olam Peanut Shelling Company, Inc., or any of their subisidiaries or joint-ventures from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2019, you may be eligible for money from a peanut farmer class action settlement.
Golden Peanut Company LLC (“Golden Peanut”), Birdsong Corporation (“Birdsong”), and Olam Peanut Shelling Company, Inc. (“Olam”) have reportedly agreed to a class action settlement of an antitrust lawsuit filed against them in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virgina, styled In Re Peanut Farmers Antitrust Litigation, No. 2:19-cv-00463 (E.D. Va.), alleging, among other things, that defendant peanut shellers Golden Peanut, Birdsong and Olam Peanut Shelling (who process peanuts and sell them to manufacturers of products such as peanut butter and candy) entered into a conspiracy to pay depressed prices to farmers for runner peanuts (the most common type of peanut grown in the U.S.) during the Class Period, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1. Defendants reportedly denied plaintiffs claims.
Who Is Included In The Peanut Farmers Class Action Settlement?
The Peanut Farmers class action settlement reportedly includes, unless otherwise excluded, the following settlement class:
All persons or entities in the United States who sold raw, harvested runner peanuts to any of the Defendants, their subsidiaries or joint-ventures, from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2019 (the “Class Period”).
What Settlement Benefits Does The Peanut Farmers Antitrust Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Provide?
The Peanut Farmers antitrust class action lawsuit settlement reportedly provides for the creation of a $102,750,000 settlement fund that will be used to pay settlement administration costs, attorneys fees and expenses, class representative service awards, and settlement class member claims.
To be eligible to receive a payment from the Settlement Fund, settlement class members must complete and submit a timely Claim Form online or via mail by July 13, 2021. The amount settlement class members will get will be calculated pursuant to a Plan of Distribution to be approved by the Court, and will depend on how many claims are submitted, and how much the Court allows in fees, costs, and expenses.
Where Can You Obtain More Information About The Peanut Farmers Class Action Settlement?
For more information about the Peanut Farmers class action settlement, write to Peanut Farmers Antitrust Litigation Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103, call 1-844-754-7469, email at Info@PeanutFarmersAntitrustLitigation.com or visit the Peanut Farmer antitrust class action settlement website at https://peanutfarmersantitrustlitigation.com/