June 17, 2025
Agri Beef, the Indiana Packers Corporation and a proposed class of workers at red meat processing plants have reached settlements totaling $2.5 million in a suit alleging a nationwide conspiracy to suppress wages.
Lead plaintiffs Ron Brown and Minka Garmon asked U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer on Friday to preliminarily approve the settlements with Agri Beef and its unit Washington Beef, along with Indiana Packers, bringing the total settlements in the suit to more than $200 million.
Agri Beef and Washington Beef agreed to a $1.4 million settlement in April, while Indiana Packers reached a $1.1 million settlement with the workers on June 10.
Agri Beef and Indiana Packers are the 11th and 12th parties to settle. Three defendant families are left in the litigation — Smithfield Foods Inc. and Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp., Greater Omaha Packing, and Agri Stats.
The workers alleged in 2022 that beginning in 2014, the nation’s leading red meat processors — companies that produce nearly 80% of the country’s red meat — hired two consulting companies in an attempt to suppress workers’ pay in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Among the defendants to reach settlements with the workers is Tyson Foods at $72.5 million and JBS USA Food at $55 million.
In addition to the $1.4 million, Agri Beef and Washington Beef agreed to provide the testimony of at least one former employee and turn over noncustodial documents, including contracts with consulting companies and labor unions. Both settlements include agreements to provide data to assist with identifying potential members of the class.
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The workers are represented by Shana E. Scarlett, Rio S. Pierce, Abby R. Wolf, Steve W. Berman, Breanna Van Engelen and Abigail D. Pershing of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, George F. Farah, Rebecca P. Chang, Nicholas J. Jackson, Rachel E. Nadas, Matthew K. Handley, Martha E. Guarnieri and William H. Anderson of Handley Farah & Anderson PLLC, Brent W. Johnson, Benjamin D. Brown, Alison S. Deich, Zachary R. Glubiak, Zachary I. Krowitz, Robert A. Braun, Sabrina Merold and Daniel H. Silverman of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, Brian D. Clark, Stephen J. Teti and Eura Chang of Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP, and Candice J. Enders, Eric L. Cramer and Julia R. McGrath of Berger Montague PC.
Read Agri Beef, Indiana Packers Strike $2.5M Deal in Wage-Fix Suit.