On Tuesday, food distribution titan Sysco’s case against major beef industry players was transferred from the Southern District of Texas to Minnesota District Court to be consolidated into the ongoing antitrust case against producers in the Beef industry, which Law Street Media has previously covered.
In Sysco’s complaint, it alleges similar issues of facts as the Minnesota case, In Re Cattle Antitrust Litigation, and against the same defendants; Cargill, Inc., Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., JBS S.A., JBS USA Food Company, Swift Beef Company, JBS Packerland, Inc., National Beef Packing Company, Tyson Foods, Inc. and Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. The defendants are accused of agreeing to cut production and raise prices.
The court found the issues of fact and allegations of price fixing and anticompetitive behavior are similar enough to In Re Cattle Antitrust Litigation to warrant a transfer to the Minnesota District Court and assigning the case to Judge John R. Tunheim. Judge Tunheim is currently overseeing the proceedings of In Re Cattle Antitrust Litigation.
Sysco is represented by Boies Schiller & Flexner. In the current Minnesota case, Tyson is represented by Perkins Coie and Dykema Gossett, JBS is represented by Bassford Remele and McGrath North, Cargill is represented by Greene Espel and Mayer Brown, and National Beef Packing Company is represented by Jones Day.
