Tuna Direct Purchasers Class Action Settlement

Unsplash | Published: September 22, 2024

Claim Form Deadline: October 18, 2024

Payout: Varies

Proof required: Yes

What's the Tuna Direct Purchasers Class Action Settlement?

A $38,650,000 class action lawsuit has been settled over allegations that tuna prices were fixed. This tuna class action aims to recover money for direct purchasers. If you are an ordinary consumer, you may qualify for the even larger tuna indirect purchasers (end user) class action lawsuit.

The Packaged Tuna Direct Purchaser Antitrust class action lawsuit involves allegations that several major tuna companies conspired to fix prices for packaged tuna products, causing direct purchasers to pay artificially inflated prices between June 1, 2011 and July 31, 2015. The companies include Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, and others, who have denied wrongdoing but agreed to settle to avoid further litigation risks.

What is a Direct Purchaser?

Direct purchasers are typically one of the following, who may have bought packaged tuna for wholesale prices intended for resale:

• Large retailers like Amazon and Walmart, supermarket chains, or grocery store chains that bought packaged tuna products directly from Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, or Thai Union Group.
• Food service companies that purchased canned or pouched tuna directly from these manufacturers for use in their operations.
• Wholesale distributors, such as Costco, who bought tuna products directly from the defendant companies to resell to smaller retailers or restaurants.
• Institutional buyers like schools, hospitals, or large corporations that purchased tuna in bulk directly from these manufacturers for their cafeterias.

The separate, $152.2 million consumer class action is specifically for end purchasers or indirect buyers of qualifying class action tuna brands.

What is the Total Settlement Amount?

The total settlement amount for this direct purchaser case is $38,650,000, which includes contributions from all settling tuna companies. This class action settlement is specifically for direct purchasers of packaged tuna products, such as businesses that bought directly from the manufacturers.

How Do I Qualify For a Payout?

To be eligible, you must have directly purchased packaged tuna products from any of the defendants between June 1, 2011 and July 31, 2015.

If you're an eligible class member and didn't previously file a claim in the COSI/TUG Settlement, you must file a claim by October 18, 2024, to receive benefits. Those who filed claims in the previous COSI/TUG Settlement don't need to file a new claim. The previous class actions were COSI, or Chicken of the Sea, and TUG, or Thai Union Group PCL. There was also a tuna class action settled in 2023 over similar allegations.

What are COSI and TUG?

Thai Union Group PCL (TUG) is a major seafood producer based in Thailand, known for its extensive range of seafood products, including the Chicken of the Sea brand. Chicken of the Sea International (COSI) is a subsidiary of TUG that specializes in canned and pouch tuna products sold in the United States.

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:

How Much Can I Get Paid?

The settlement provides both cash and product compensation:

• Cash Component: The settling defendants will pay a total of $38,650,000 in cash.
• Product Component: As part of this total, StarKist will provide StarKist-branded products valued at $26,100,000 for distribution to class members with valid claims.

How Do I File a Claim?

The deadline to file a claim is October 18, 2024. Claims submitted after this date may not be considered. Remember, if you previously filed a claim in the COSI/TUG Settlement, you may not need to file a new claim for this settlement.

Claim Form Website: TunaDirectPurchaserCase.com

Submit Claim

Filing Class Action Settlement Claims

Please note that your claim form will be rejected if you submit a settlement claim for payout with any fraudulent information. By providing this information and your sworn statement of its veracity, you agree to do so under the penalty of perjury. You would also be harming others that actually qualify for the class action settlement. If you are not sure whether or not you qualify for this class action settlement, visit the class action administrator's website below. OpenClassActions.com is only providing information and is not a class action administrator or a law firm. OpenClassActions is a participant in the Amazon affiliate advertising program and this post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission or fees if you make a purchase via those links.

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