June 10, 2024
Pork producers accused of colluding to diminish supply and inflate prices in sprawling multidistrict litigation have urged a Minnesota federal court to toss all remaining buyers' claims against them, saying statistical reports they use are lawful and their accusers' complaints are untimely.
June 03, 2024
A Minnesota federal judge refused Monday to let a unit of legal investment firm Burford Capital substitute for Sysco Corp. as plaintiff in sprawling price-fixing lawsuits against pork and beef producers, agreeing with a magistrate judge's conclusions that allowing a litigation funder to dictate antitrust settlements "could have a detrimental impact."
April 08, 2024
Three plaintiff classes in the ongoing pork price-fixing litigation against Hormel Foods have reached preliminary settlements worth over $11 million with the company and are now asking the Minnesota federal judge overseeing the case to grant them initial approval.
February 26, 2024
Restaurant food distributor Sysco and a Burford Capital affiliate both objected to a federal magistrate judge's decision not to allow the affiliate to replace Sysco in sprawling price-fixing lawsuits against pork and beef producers, asserting that the denial contravenes civil procedure rules and public policy.
February 09, 2024
Legal investment firm Burford Capital cannot substitute for Sysco in sprawling price-fixing lawsuits against pork and beef producers because doing so would extend the litigation just so Burford can maximize its return on investment, a Minnesota federal judge ruled Friday.
September 27, 2023
A Minnesota federal judge Tuesday refused to throw out a consolidated complaint brought by nine groups of pork buyers who accuse Tyson Foods Inc., Hormel Foods Corp. and other pork producers of colluding to diminish supply and inflate prices in sprawling multidistrict litigation.
August 08, 2023
A recent spat between Sysco and legal investment firm Burford Capital over control of settlement approval is irrelevant to their "straightforward" request to swap in a Burford-affiliated entity as plaintiff in a pork price-fixing lawsuit, the food distribution giant told a Minnesota federal court this week.
July 10, 2023
An affiliate of litigation funding giant Burford Capital pressed a Minnesota federal judge to let it replace Sysco as a plaintiff in sprawling price-fixing lawsuits against pork and beef producers following the resolution of Sysco and Burford's separate fight over who controlled Sysco's litigation future.
June 23, 2023
A class of direct purchasers urged a Minnesota federal court to approve a $9.75 million deal with Seaboard Foods LLC in multidistrict litigation over claims that pork producers colluded to inflate prices, bringing the total settlement amount to $111 million.
April 12, 2023
A Minnesota federal judge granted final approval Tuesday to a $75 million settlement between Smithfield Foods Inc. and consumer indirect purchasers in multidistrict litigation over a purported scheme concocted by the meat industry to inflate pork prices, also granting $25 million in attorney fees.