Another suit was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Illinois against Agri-Stats and major pork producers Wednesday, this time by the trustee of defunct grocery cooperative Central Grocers.
The allegations in this case echo other recent pork antitrust cases, including the large In re Pork Antitrust Litigation, based in the District of Minnesota. The plaintiff in this case alleges that the defendants, including Hormel, JBS, and others, revolves around pork pricing information shared by Agri Stats, also a defendant. The plaintiff contends that this information allowed the defendants to artificially inflate the price of their pork products, causing harm to the grocery chain and many others.
The plaintiff is the trustee of the now-bankrupt Central Grocers, which formerly operated one of the largest grocery cooperatives. In addition to Agri Stats, they also raised concerns about the defendants’ ability to collude via trade associations and industry conferences. The Conspiracy Period defined in the complaint stretches from 2009 until the present.
The plaintiff is represented by A & G Law.
