The final chapter has been written in an ongoing antitrust suit led by law firm BakerHostetler. On May 17, Judge J. Ronnie Greer of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee approved a final settlement agreement in the Southeast Milk Antitrust Litigation. The law firm represented plaintiff dairy farmers who had brought a class action against major dairy sellers and marketers.
The order approved the third and final settlement in the case, according to information provided by the law firm. It was entered between plaintiffs and defendant Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and included payment of $158.6 million, as well as substantial structural relief.
The final settlement agreement approved by Judge Greer was originally was reached in January. Click here to read more details.
The lawsuit claimed violation of federal antitrust laws that negatively impacted Southeastern dairy farmers across 14 states.
There were three settlement agreements in this case. Two previous settlements were reached in July 2011 with defendants Dean Foods for $140 million and Southern Marketing Agency and James Baird for $5 million, plus changes in milk marketing conduct.
In total, the the law firm team recovered more than $300 million for the class, which represents more than 70 percent of the estimated damages in the case.
Attorneys secured changes to DFA’s business conduct in the dairy market that Judge Greer deemed “significant and valuable non-monetary benefits” in terms of structural relief. PD
—From BakerHostetler news release
