IF YOU BOUGHT CANNED OR POUCHED TUNA BETWEEN JUNE 1, 2011 AND JULY 1, 2015, YOU MAY QUALIFY TO GET CASH FROM CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENTS TOTALING $152.2 MILLION.
NOTE: This website provides information for end purchasers of Canned or Pouched Tuna Products. If you are a direct purchaser who bought Packaged Tuna between June 1, 2011 and July 31, 2015, please visit www.TunaDirectPurchaserCase.com.
What is this lawsuit about?
End Payer Plaintiffs allege that from June 2011 to July 2015 Defendants participated in an unlawful conspiracy to raise, fix, maintain, or stabilize the price of Packaged Tuna products at an artificially high level in violation of antitrust and unfair competition laws. In July 2019, the Court certified a class of End Payer Plaintiffs and selected Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP to act as Class Counsel (the “Class Order”).
Defendants appealed the Class Order. On April 8, 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court’s Class Order. On August 8, 2022, the Defendants petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit’s April 8, 2022 judgement. On November 14, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition and declined the opportunity to review the Class Order.
The EPPs have now reached proposed Settlements with StarKist, DWI, and the Lion Companies. StarKist, DWI and the Lion Companies deny many of the allegations and have asserted defenses to the EPPs’ claims. They agreed to the proposed Settlements to avoid further litigation, the risks of an adverse jury verdict, substantial trial, costs, and inconvenience to the EPPs, StarKist and Lion. If approved, the StarKist and Lion Settlements will release StarKist and Lion from the claims in this case.
If you already filed a claim in the COSI Settlement, you do not need to file another claim for payment. If you did not file a claim in the COSI Settlement, and you do not submit a valid Claim Form by the initial claims deadline of December 31, 2024, you will not receive a payment, but you will be bound by the Court’s judgment in this case.
The Court, the Defendants, and individuals who previously opted out of the COSI Settlement Class or certified Class also are excluded from the StarKist and Lion Settlement Class.
For more information regarding the pending class action litigation or the COSI Settlement, please visit the FAQ page for answers to many common questions.
Am I a member of the Class?
The StarKist and Lion Settlement Class includes all persons and entities who resided in Arizona, Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, who indirectly purchased Packaged Tuna in cans or pouches smaller than forty ounces for end consumption and not for resale, produced by any Defendant or any current or former subsidiary or affiliate thereof, or any co-conspirator during the period from June 1, 2011 to July 1, 2015 (the “Class Period”).
The StarKist and Lion Settlement Class excludes purchases of meal kits. The Court, the Defendants, and individuals who previously opted out of the COSI Settlement Class or certified Class also are excluded from the StarKist and Lion Settlement Class.
If you are a Class Member, your rights will be affected whether you act or not. Please read below to view your rights and options.