Bought beef? You have just days to file a claim in $87.5 million settlement

Business Bought beef? You have just days to file a claim in $87.5 million settlement Comments: by Addy Bink - 06/28/26 9:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Addy Bink - 06/28/26 9:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied

NOW PLAYING

(NEXSTAR) — The deadline to claim part of an $87.5 million settlement over beef products sold in more than half the U.S. over a five-year period is coming up this week.

An antitrust class action lawsuit was previously brought against “several beef processors,” including Tyson Foods, Cargill, National Beef, and JBS, by a group of consumers. The companies were accused of entering “into a market allocation agreement” that allowed them to “stop competing against each other for market share.”

Through the agreement, the beef processors could “increase their margins and increase the price consumers paid for beef,” a press release issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota explained.

While they haven’t admitted any wrongdoing, and the court has not ruled that they did anything wrong, Foods and Cargill have agreed to settlements of $55 million and $32.5 million, respectively, to resolve the claims. The combined $87.5 million will contribute to cash payments for customers who purchased any of the more than 280 types of beef outlined in the settlement.

Do you qualify for the ‘Overcharged for Beef’ settlement?

If you bought beef for “personal consumption” between August 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019, you may.

The products need to be one of more than 280 types of beef, including fresh and frozen items such as chuck, loin, rib, and round primal cuts. They had to have been sold at a grocery store or supermarket, not directly from the processors.

You must also have purchased the meat from stores located in any of the following states or the District of Columbia: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Which beef products qualify?

The full list of qualifying beef products can be found at OverchargedForBeef.com.

Administrators say excluded cuts include any that were marketed as:

Premium: USDA Prime, organic, 100% grass-fed, Wagyu, “American-Style Kobe Beef”
Specialty: No Antibiotics Ever (“NAE”), antibiotic-free, kosher, halal, certified humane
Processed: Ground, marinated, seasoned, flavored, breaded, or cooked beef.

How to file a claim, and how much you’ll receive

You have until Tuesday, June 30, to file a claim online or by mailing in your form.

The online form will ask for your name, address, email, and phone number. Then you’ll have to complete a questionnaire regarding whether you purchased any of the qualifying cuts of beef, including how many pounds and how much you spent on them on a monthly basis.

You’ll have to mark whether you want to receive a check by mail or via an electronic payment method like PayPal or Venmo, or a digital gift card for Amazon, Instacart, or Starbucks.

The cash payments will be pro rata, varying based on the amount of qualifying beef you purchased. A judge has yet to approve these settlements, and payments won’t be available until after that, officials noted. Any objections to the case could also delay payments.

If you submit a claim, you give up your right to sue Tyson and Cargill over the same allegations made within this lawsuit. If you want to object to the settlement, you have until March 30, 2026, to submit your written objection.

Add as preferred source on Google Tags

Comments: Link copied