$181M Settlement Reached; Shoppers Who Bought Chicken In Last Decade Could Be Eligible For Money

You may be eligible to receive money if you have bought chicken in the past 10 years. A new class-action settlement was just reached for $181 million.

Prosecutors in the Broiler Chicken Antitrust litigation lawsuit claimed that a handful of chicken processors violated both federal and state consumer antitrust laws by coming together to stabilize the price and supply of chicken.

They also claim that the violation started back in 2009, PEOPLE reported.

The case was heard in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Even though the allegations were denied, the two parties reached a settlement.

“This represents significant recovery for consumers who were harmed by the defendants conspiring to raise the price of chicken in grocery stores and other retailers, Brent W. Johnson, co-lead counsel with Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC, said in a statement to PEOPLE.

However, before monies are distributed, the court will have another hearing on December 20 to decide if they will approve the settlements.

Shoppers who would like to receive their part of the settlement must have bought chicken products from one of the settling defendants — Fieldale Farms Corporation, George’s, Mar-Jac Poultry, Peco Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, and Tyson Foods — between Jan. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2020.

The settlement covers both fresh and frozen raw chicken. However, meat sold as halal, kosher, free-range, or organic Is not included in the suit.

And!!! The chicken has to be bought from certain states, including California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island (after July 15, 2013), South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.

If you want to see if you qualify, visit www.overchargedforchicken.com, or call (877) 888-5428. The deadline to submit is Dec. 31, 2022.