Consumers who bought certain raw pork products for household use may qualify for a cash payment from five newly announced settlements totaling $117.065 million.
The case is In re Pork Antitrust Litigation (Indirect Purchaser Actions), No. 0:18-cv-01776, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The plaintiffs allege that major pork processors used production restraints, exports, and information from Agri Stats to inflate and stabilize pork prices. The companies deny wrongdoing, and the court has not ruled that they violated the law.
Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by October 29, 2026.
Key deadline A valid claim is required to seek a cash payment from the new settlements. The current deadline is October 29, 2026.
Who may qualify?
The August 28 court-issued notice says the settlements cover people and entities that indirectly purchased qualifying pork products for personal consumption between June 28, 2014 and June 30, 2018 in one of the covered jurisdictions.
An indirect purchaser is someone who did not buy from a defendant directly. For most consumers, that means buying pork from a grocery store or supermarket for themselves or their household.
The qualifying products are raw pork bacon and certain fresh or frozen raw pork made from bellies, loins, shoulder, ribs, or pork chops. Pork marketed as organic or “no antibiotics ever” is excluded. Products other than bacon are also excluded if they were marinated, seasoned, flavored, or breaded.
The covered jurisdictions are:
- Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia; and
- the District of Columbia.
The official case website says the class period for Kansas, Tennessee, and South Carolina begins June 28, 2015, rather than June 28, 2014. Consumers should use the official notice and claim process to determine whether their purchases fall within the class definition.
Who is included The settlements concern certain indirect purchases of specified raw pork products in the listed jurisdictions—not every pork purchase made nationwide.
What do the settlements provide?
The five cash settlements announced in the current notice are:
- Tyson: $85 million;
- Clemens: $13.5 million;
- Seaboard: $10 million;
- Hormel: $4.465 million; and
- Triumph: $4.1 million.
Together, those payments total $117.065 million. Agri Stats separately agreed to nonmonetary changes to certain business practices; the notice says no cash payment is available from the Agri Stats settlement.
The current settlements follow earlier agreements with JBS and Smithfield. The court-issued notice says the earlier claim period for those settlements has closed.
After court-approved deductions, qualifying class members who submit valid, timely claims may receive a pro rata payment. Pro rata means a proportional share rather than a fixed amount. The notice says a claimant’s payment will be proportional to the amount of qualifying pork they purchased. No individual payment estimate is currently stated in the notice.
Payment is not fixed The notice does not promise a set dollar amount. Any payment will depend on the approved distribution and the claimant’s qualifying purchases.
How to file a claim
The court-issued notice directs class members to file through the official OverchargedForPork.com case website or submit a mailed claim that is postmarked by October 29, 2026.
The same date applies to requests to opt out and objections. These choices have different legal consequences:
- filing a valid claim is the only way to seek a cash payment from the new cash settlements;
- opting out preserves the right to bring individual claims against the five cash-settlement defendants but gives up payment from those settlements; and
- objecting keeps a class member in the settlements while allowing them to tell the court why they disagree with the terms.
The notice says class members cannot opt out of the Agri Stats settlement.
What happens if you do nothing The notice says class members who do nothing will receive no cash payment and will still be bound by the settlements if they become final.
What happens next?
The court scheduled a fairness hearing for December 10, 2026. A fairness hearing is when the judge considers whether a proposed class settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and whether requested fees and expenses should be approved.
The notice says the court will consider attorneys’ fees of up to one-third of each gross settlement amount, plus interest; litigation expenses of up to $5 million; and service awards of $3,000 for each class representative.
The settlements are not final merely because claims are open. Payments can proceed only after the court grants final approval and any remaining conditions or appeals are resolved. Filing a claim does not guarantee eligibility or payment.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. Use the official case website and court notice for the controlling terms and current deadlines.