House of Raeford has agreed to a $460,000 settlement in a lawsuit in which Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson accused the company of conspiring with other poultry companies in an effort to drive up the price of chicken.
The settlement was announced by Ferguson’s office on January 3.
By signing the settlement, House of Raeford agreed to cooperate with the Attorney General’s Office to produce relevant to the case against the other alleged co-conspirators. The company is also required to conduct internal training and certify that its corporate policies ensure that company follows state and federal antitrust laws. Under the terms of the consent decree, if House of Raeford engages in price-fixing or other anticompetitive conduct in the next five years, the Attorney General’s Office can go to court to seek further civil penalties.
"“House of Raeford Farms denies and has consistently denied that it violates or violated any Federal or State antitrust or business practices laws. The Consent Decree specifically stipulates in Paragraph 2.2 that the Company denies all allegations and denies that it engaged in any wrongdoing," a representative for the company said in an e-mailed statement to WATTPoultry.com.
Many settle in antitrust lawsuit
In October 2021, Ferguson filed a lawsuit against the following companies: Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, Sanderson Farms, Perdue Farms, Koch Foods, Mountaire Farms, Wayne Farms, Amick Farms, George’s, Peco Foods, House of Raeford, Fieldale Farms, Case Foods, Mar-Jac Poultry, Claxton Poultry Farms, Simmons Foods, O.K. Foods, Harrison Poultry and Agri Stats. Wayne Farms and Sanderson Farms have since merged into one combined company, Wayne-Sanderson Farms.
All but two of the 19 companies named in the lawsuit have reached an agreement with the Attorney General. A trial against the two remaining companies, Foster Farms and Wayne-Sanderson Farms, is scheduled for October 2024, the press release noted.
“As a result of corporate greed and illegal price-fixing, Washingtonians paid more for chicken without realizing it,” Ferguson said. “We are holding accountable those responsible, and getting money back to Washington families who were most harmed. We will continue to serve as a force for economic justice for Washingtonians.”
Ferguson plans to distribute any funds collected from the antitrust lawsuit to Washington state households whose income is at or below 175% of the federal poverty line.
