Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc., Four B Corporation (d/b/a Balls Food Stores), Cosentino Group, Inc., Cosentino Enterprises, Inc., Mid Am Food Enterprises, Inc., and CNW Foods, Inc. against egg producers and egg industry trade groups for artificial inflation of egg prices. The lawsuit alleges that defendants' control and manipulation of the price of shell eggs and egg products violates the Kansas Restraint of Trade Act.

The plaintiffs allege that the defendants reduced and constrained the supply of eggs in order to artificially inflate the price of eggs for their own benefit by the following methods: (a) defendants agreed to reduce the overall number of hens, which was intended to reduce the egg supply, (b) defendants increased exports, which again decreased the nation's supply of eggs, and (c) defendants intentionally decreased the lifecycle of hens, which also decreased the supply of eggs.

Defendants' collusion resulted in unprecedented egg prices and unprecedented profits for the defendants.

The defendants in this case include four egg industry trade groups (United Egg Producers, United Egg Association, United States Egg Marketers and the Missouri Egg Council, Inc.) as well as individual egg producers (Land O'Lakes, Inc., Moark Egg Corporation, Moark, LLC, Norco Ranch, Inc., Michael Foods, Inc., Rose Acre Farms, Inc., National Food Corporation, Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., Hillandale Farms, Inc., Hillandale Farms of PA., Inc., Hillandale-Gettysburg, L.P., Hillandale Farms East, Inc., Ohio Fresh Eggs, LLC, Daybreak Foods, Inc., Midwest Poultry Services, L.P., Nucal Foods, Inc., R.W. Sauder Inc. and Sparboe Farms, Inc.).

For questions or more information, please contact Patrick Stueve or Rachel Schwartz at 1-800-714-0360 or you may complete the form below.

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