If you (i) directly sold to a Defendant one or more fed cattle for slaughter from June 1, 2015 to February 29, 2020 other than pursuant to a Cost-Plus Agreement and/or a Profit Sharing Agreement; and/or (ii) held a long position in Live Cattle Futures traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange prior to June 1, 2015, and subsequently liquidated the long position through an offsetting market transaction at any point prior to November 1, 2016, your rights may be affected by a pending class action settlement and you may be entitled to a portion of the settlement fund.
This notice is to alert you to a proposed settlement reached between Cattle Plaintiffs and defendants JBS USA Food Company, Swift Beef Company, JBS Packerland, Inc., and JBS S.A. (collectively, “JBS,” and together with Cattle Plaintiffs, the “Parties”) in In re Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 22-3031 (D. Minn.) and the creation of a settlement fund totaling $83,500,000. The settlement with JBS will resolve the claims against it in the action. JBS denies any liability, fault, or wrongdoing in connection with the allegations in the action. Litigation remains ongoing against the non-settling defendants, Tyson Foods Inc., Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., Cargill, Inc., Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation and National Beef Packing Company, LLC.
The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (the “Court”) authorized this notice. The Court appointed the lawyers listed below to represent the Settlement Classes:
Patrick McGahan
Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP
156 S. Main St.
PO Box 192
Colchester, CT 06415
pmcgahan@scott-scott.com
Daniel O. Herrera
Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP
135 S. LaSalle St.
Suite 3210
Chicago, IL 60603
dherrera@caffertyclobes.com
Subject to certain exceptions, the Settlement Classes consist of: (i) the “Producer Class” of all persons or entities within the United States that directly sold to a Defendant one or more fed cattle for slaughter from June 1, 2015 to February 29, 2020 other than pursuant to a Cost-Plus Agreement and/or a Profit Sharing Agreement; and (ii) the “Exchange Class” of all persons or entities who held a long position in Live Cattle Futures traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange prior to June 1, 2015, and subsequently liquidated the long position through an offsetting market transaction at any point prior to November 1, 2016.
A “Cost Plus Agreement” means an agreement to purchase fed cattle at a price determined, in all or in part, by applying an agreed mark-up to an accounting of costs incurred by the fed cattle seller in providing finished fed cattle.
A “Profit Sharing Agreement” means an agreement to supply fed cattle to a Defendant pursuant to which the Defendant: (a) financed all or part of the costs incurred by the seller in connection with the seller’s purchase of unfinished cattle and/or the seller’s efforts to finish unfinished cattle to slaughter weight (e.g., feed); and/or (b) agreed to share certain profits or losses of either the seller and/or the Defendant in relation to the cattle to be supplied.
If you are not sure if you are included in the Settlement Classes, you can get more information by visiting www.CattleAntitrustSettlement.com or by calling toll-free at (844) 435-8844.
Cattle Plaintiffs allege that JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef — the four largest meat packers (the companies that buy fed cattle, slaughter them, and fabricate them into beef) — conspired to eliminate or reduce competition among them for the purchase of fed cattle (cattle finished on a high energy ration), thereby artificially reducing the price cattle feeders received for their fed cattle.
Cattle Plaintiffs bring a separate, but related, claim under the Commodity Exchange Act, alleging Defendants manipulated the price of exchange-traded Live Cattle Futures contracts through their conduct in the physical market and through their trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
To settle the claims in this lawsuit, JBS agreed to pay a total of $83,500,000. If the settlement is approved, the settlement amount, plus interest earned and less any taxes, notice, and administration costs, Court-awarded attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses, any service awards for Cattle Plaintiffs, and any other expenses approved by the Court will be divided among all Settlement Class Members who submit valid claim forms. The settlement also requires JBS to provide Cattle Plaintiffs with certain assistance, which Cattle Plaintiffs can use in their efforts to distribute the Net Settlement Amount and prosecute their claims against the remaining Defendants.
If you are a member of the Settlement Classes and do not opt out, you will be eligible for a payment under the Cattle-JBS Settlement if you file a valid claim form. Claim forms must be submitted online at www.CattleAntitrustSettlement.com on or before 11:59 p.m. Central time on September 15, 2025, OR mailed so that they are postmarked by September 15, 2025, at Cattle Antitrust Settlement, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
If you are a member of the Settlement Classes and do not opt out, you will release certain legal rights against JBS and the other Released Defendants, as explained in the Court’s detailed notice and the settlement agreement, which are available at www.CattleAntitrustSettlement.com. If you do not want to be a member of the Settlement Classes with respect to the Cattle-JBS Settlement, you must opt out by July 7, 2025. If you are a member of the Settlement Classes and do not opt out, you may object to the settlement, the plan of allocation, application for an award of attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses, and/or service awards for Plaintiffs by July 7, 2025. Information on how to opt out or object is contained in the Court’s detailed notice, which is available at www.CattleAntitrustSettlement.com.
The Court will hold a fairness hearing at the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, 300 South Fourth Street, Courtroom 14E, Minneapolis, MN 55415, on August 15, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. to consider whether to finally approve the settlement, plan of distribution, application for an award of attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses, and any service awards for Plaintiffs. You or your lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the hearing at your own expense, but you do not have to.
For more information, call toll-free 1-844-435-8844 or visit
www.CattleAntitrustSettlement.com.
**** Please do not call the Court or the Clerk of the Court for information about the settlement. ****
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