What is the Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation?

A massive, multi-year class action lawsuit alleging that major tuna producers — StarKist, Chicken of the Sea, and Bumble Bee (through parent companies Lion Capital and Dongwon Industries) — conspired to fix, raise, and keep artificially high prices on packaged tuna products. The case is In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 15-MD-2670, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Multiple settlements totaling tens of millions of dollars have been reached with the various defendants.

When will I get my tuna settlement payment?

The StarKist and Lion Capital settlements for Commercial Food Preparer (CFP) class members had a final approval hearing on November 15, 2024. Payments are expected after final approval is granted and any appeal periods have passed. If you received a postcard showing your qualifying purchase value, you should be watching your mailbox for a settlement check. The settlement administrator is Kroll.

Who qualifies for the tuna price-fixing settlement?

You qualify if you or your company purchased foodservice-size packaged tuna products (40 ounces or larger) directly from DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Sam's Club, Walmart, or Costco between June 1, 2011 and December 31, 2016. This primarily affects commercial food preparers — restaurants, delis, cafeterias, catering companies, and food service businesses — who bought large-format tuna in bulk from these distributors.

How much money is the tuna settlement worth?

The tuna litigation has resulted in multiple settlements across different plaintiff classes. The Commercial Food Preparer (CFP) settlements include $6.5 million from Chicken of the Sea (COSI), plus settlements with StarKist/Dongwon Industries and Lion Capital (Bumble Bee parent). End purchaser settlements totaled over $168 million in cash plus $26 million in tuna products. Your individual payout depends on your qualifying purchase volume during the class period.

Can I still file a claim for the tuna settlement?

The claim deadline for the StarKist and Lion Capital CFP settlements was August 30, 2024, which has passed. The earlier Chicken of the Sea settlement claim deadline was June 21, 2023, which has also passed. If you did not file a claim and did not receive a postcard showing qualifying purchases, you will not receive a payment. Late claims may be submitted but acceptance is not guaranteed.

What brands of tuna were involved in the price-fixing?

The three major tuna brands involved were StarKist, Chicken of the Sea, and Bumble Bee. Bumble Bee filed for bankruptcy in November 2019 and was dismissed from the lawsuit. Chicken of the Sea (through parent Thai Union Group) settled separately. StarKist (through parent Dongwon Industries) and Lion Capital (Bumble Bee's parent companies) are the most recent settling defendants.

Is the tuna settlement postcard from Kroll legitimate?

Yes. Postcards from Kroll Settlement Administration regarding the Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation are legitimate, court-authorized notices. Kroll is one of the largest settlement administrators in the country. The postcards come from P.O. Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324. The official settlement website is PackagedSeafoodAntitrustCFPclass.com.

Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation: Tuna Price-Fixing Settlement Payments Expected — Check Your Mailbox

Q: What is a commercial food preparer in this settlement?

A commercial food preparer (CFP) is a business or individual that purchases food products in large quantities to prepare and serve food to customers. This includes restaurants, delis, sandwich shops, cafeterias, catering companies, hospitals, schools, and any other food service operation that bought 40-ounce or larger packaged tuna from the qualifying distributors during the class period.

By Steve Levine

Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation Tuna Settlement Update

Published: February 18, 2026

Latest Update: The StarKist and Lion Capital (Bumble Bee) tuna settlements have completed their final approval process. If you received a postcard with a qualifying purchase value, you should be watching your mailbox for a settlement check.

If you run a restaurant, deli, catering company, or any food service business that bought large cans of tuna from Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, Sysco, US Foods, or DOT Foods between 2011 and 2016 — and you previously filed a claim or received a postcard — this settlement may be about to pay you.

The Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation is one of the longest-running food price-fixing cases in the country. It has been working through the courts since 2015. Now, after years of settlements with multiple defendants, the payment phase appears to be approaching for the most recent round of settlements.

Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation: What Was This Case About?

The lawsuit alleged that the three biggest tuna companies in the United States — StarKist, Chicken of the Sea, and Bumble Bee — conspired to fix, raise, and maintain artificially high prices on packaged tuna products. The companies allegedly coordinated pricing to boost their profits at the expense of buyers who paid more than they should have.

This wasn't just an allegation. StarKist actually pleaded guilty to criminal price-fixing charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. Bumble Bee's CEO was found partially liable for the scheme. Bumble Bee itself went bankrupt in November 2019 and was dismissed from the civil case.

The case is In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 15-MD-2670, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Who Is Affected by the Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Settlement?

The current settlement phase covers "Commercial Food Preparers" (CFPs) — businesses and individuals that purchased foodservice-size packaged tuna products (40 ounces or larger) directly from DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Sam's Club, Walmart, or Costco between June 1, 2011 and December 31, 2016.

In plain English, this means restaurants, delis, sandwich shops, cafeterias, catering companies, hospitals, schools, and any other food service operation that bought big cans of tuna from one of those six distributors during that five-and-a-half year period.

If you bought regular consumer-size cans of tuna (the small cans you buy for yourself at the grocery store), that is a different plaintiff class covered by the separate "End Purchaser" settlement.

Which Tuna Brands Settled?

Three groups of defendants settled at different times:

Chicken of the Sea (COSI) and Thai Union Group settled first. The court granted final approval of their $6.5 million CFP settlement in August 2022. A separate $20 million end purchaser settlement was finalized in July 2023.

StarKist and Dongwon Industries reached a settlement with CFP plaintiffs in January 2024.

Lion Capital (parent companies of Bumble Bee) also settled with CFP plaintiffs. Together, the StarKist and Lion Capital settlements total $3.875 million for CFP class members.

The final approval hearing for the StarKist and Lion Capital settlements was held on November 15, 2024.

I Received a Postcard — What Does It Mean?

If you received a postcard from Kroll Settlement Administration showing your qualifying purchase value, you are a confirmed class member and will automatically receive a pro rata share of the net settlement funds based on your purchases. You do not need to file a new claim or resubmit anything.

If your postcard showed that you had no qualifying purchase value, you would have needed to file a claim or dispute by August 30, 2024. That deadline has passed.

The postcards are legitimate. They come from Kroll Settlement Administration, P.O. Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324. The official settlement website is PackagedSeafoodAntitrustCFPclass.com.

When Will Payments Arrive?

Settlement payments are distributed after the court grants final approval and any appeal periods have passed. The final approval hearing for the StarKist and Lion Capital settlements was November 15, 2024. Assuming approval was granted and no appeals were filed, payment checks could begin arriving in early-to-mid 2026.

If you received a postcard with a qualifying purchase value, watch your mailbox. Your individual payment will be a pro rata share of the net settlement funds (total fund minus attorneys' fees, costs, and administration expenses) based on the dollar value of your qualifying purchases compared to the total qualifying purchases of all class members.

For the latest updates, visit PackagedSeafoodAntitrustCFPclass.com.

What Is Price Fixing and Why Is It Illegal?

Price fixing is when competing companies secretly agree to set prices at a certain level instead of competing against each other on price. It is illegal under federal antitrust laws because it eliminates the competition that normally keeps prices lower for buyers.

In this case, the three biggest tuna producers in the U.S. allegedly agreed among themselves to raise and maintain the prices of packaged tuna products, rather than competing to offer lower prices. This meant restaurants, delis, and other food service businesses paid more for tuna than they would have in a competitive market. The price-fixing scheme allegedly ran for years and affected purchases across the country.

Other Class Action Settlements You May Qualify For

If you're a food service business checking on your tuna settlement payment, here are other active class action settlements you may qualify for:

• Amazon Returns Settlement — $309.5 million
• Grubhub Unauthorized Restaurant Listing Settlement — $7.15 million ($50+ pro rata)
• Grubhub/Seamless California Delivery Fee Settlement — $10 site credit
• DoorDash Chicago Settlement — up to $2,500
• Wells Fargo CARES Act Mortgage Settlement — $56.85 million automatic
• Limestone Bank Overdraft Fee Settlement — automatic payments

Check back regularly for new settlements.

How Do I Find Class Action Settlements?

Find all the latest class actions you can qualify for by getting notified of new lawsuits as soon as they are open to claims:

Case Information: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation

Case: In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 15-MD-2670 DMS (MDD), U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Defendants (CFP Settlements): StarKist Co., Dongwon Industries Co. Ltd., Lion Capital (Americas) Inc., Lion Capital LLP, and Big Catch Cayman LP.

Previously Settled Defendant: Tri-Union Seafoods LLC d/b/a Chicken of the Sea International and Thai Union Group PCL.

Dismissed Defendant: Bumble Bee (filed for bankruptcy November 2019).

Class Counsel (CFP): Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca LLP.

Settlement Administrator: Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324.

Settlement Website: PackagedSeafoodAntitrustCFPclass.com

Sources

• Settlement notices and court filings, In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 15-MD-2670 (S.D. Cal.)
• Settlement Website: PackagedSeafoodAntitrustCFPclass.com
• Previous OCA coverage: $6.5M Tuna Price Fixing Class Action Settlement

For more class actions keep scrolling below.

Open Class Action Lawsuit and Class Action Settlement

Childrens' Video Game Addiction

Deadline: Pending

Submit Claim

DraftKings & FanDuel Addiction Lawsuits

Status: Open

Submit Claim

Bayer RoundUp Bug Spray Lawsuits

Status: Open to Claims

Submit Claim

Kids Playing Roblox - Alleged Abuse

Pre-Qualify Here

Submit Claim

File a rebate form to get a coupon, refund, rebate, or payment from this class action settlement

$4.17M RevitaLash Conditioner Settlement

Deadline: April 20, 2026

Submit Claim

$87.5M Beef Prices Settlement

Deadline: June 30, 2026

Submit Claim

Dollar General Bait & Switch Settlement

Deadline: April 13, 2026

Submit Claim

Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation Summary
Case	In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 15-MD-2670 (S.D. Cal.)
Allegation	StarKist, Chicken of the Sea, and Bumble Bee conspired to fix tuna prices
CFP Class Period	June 1, 2011 – December 31, 2016
Qualifying Products	Foodservice-size packaged tuna (40 oz. or larger)
Qualifying Distributors	DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Sam's Club, Walmart, Costco
COSI Settlement	$6.5 million (final approval August 2022)
StarKist + Lion Settlements	$3.875 million (hearing November 15, 2024)
Claim Deadline	August 30, 2024 (passed)
Payout	Pro rata based on qualifying purchases — payments expected early-mid 2026
Settlement Admin	Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
Settlement Website	Class Action Site