Butterball is the most recent U.S. poultry company to offer to settle in lawsuit that accuses the company of conspiring with other poultry producers to suppress wages and benefits for employees.
A court document, filed on August 27 in United States District Court, District of Maryland, stated that Butterball and the plaintiff class had reached an agreement to settle all claims against the turkey company. The agreement is subject to court approval.
The terms of the agreement were not made available. An offer to settle does not mean an admission of guilt.
The agreement for Butterball and the plaintiffs to settle was reached following two other settlement offers made last week. Those were made with broiler producer Koch Foods and turkey producer Jennie-O Turkey Store, a subsidiary of Hormel Foods. Paperwork for Koch Foods’ settlement was filed in court on August 20, and the filing was made on behalf of Jennie-O on the following day.
Terms of those agreements were also not disclosed.
Butterball, headquartered in Garner, North Carolina, is the second-largest turkey producer in the United States, having slaughtered 1.06 billion turkeys in 2023. Company brands are Butterball, Carolina Turkeys, Just Perfect and Farm to Family.
