Judge Approves $12.5M Settlement in Hill's Pet Nutrition MDL
On July 30, 2021, Chief Judge Julie A. Robinson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas approved a $12.5 million settlement resolving some of the class claims in multidistrict litigation against Defendants Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. and Colgate-Palmolive Company.
Plaintiffs from across the country alleged that Hill’s sold certain canned dog food products in the United States that contained excessive levels of vitamin D. Defendants have denied these claims.
The full order is available below.
Beginning in February 2019, lawsuits filed across the country were consolidated and transferred to Chief Judge Robinson by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation because Defendant Hill’s is headquartered in the District and key evidence and witnesses are likely to be located in Kansas. In July 2019, Judge Robinson appointed Stueve Siegel Hanson partner Rachel Schwartz as both Co-Lead Counsel and Liaison Counsel for all Plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation. In the Court’s July 30, 2021 Order, Schwartz additionally was appointed as Settlement Class Counsel.
The settlement offers full reimbursement for the total purchase price of the dog food and provides for reimbursement for screening or treatment of dogs for signs consistent with consumption of excess levels of Vitamin D as a result of the use or consumption of Hill’s products.
Settlement benefits will be distributed as soon as practicable after the Settlement Administrator concludes its review of all claim submissions and after the resolution of any appeals. More information about the settlement is available at www.petfoodsettlement.com.
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