Canadians who bought beef within the last decade may soon be eligible for payment after proposed settlements have been reached in class-action lawsuits alleging unlawful conspiracy. JBS USA Company, Swift Beef Company, JBS Packerland Inc., JBS Canada ULC (known collectively as “JBS”) and National Beef Packing Company, LLC are defendants in class actions alleging “unlawful conspiracy regarding the supply and/or price of Beef sold in Canada,” according to class counsel, who published a press release detailing the proposals on Thursday. The settlements, which still need to be approved by the courts, don’t amount to admission of wrongdoing by JBS or National Beef, according to the lawyers’ news release. In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for JBS said the claims are “without merit.” “This settlement agreement was reached more than a year ago and fully resolves all claims related to this matter in Canada. We believe the claims are without merit, and the agreement was entered into solely to avoid the expense and uncertainty of prolonged litigation,” reads the statement.“ CTV News has also requested comment from National Beef. Who is eligible? The class actions were filed on behalf of all Canadians who purchased beef for resale or personal use after Jan. 1, 2015. Beef products and meat purchased from the food service industry are excluded. There are two groups of class members. The first and largest group comprises members of the BC Settlement Class. Those members bought beef between January 2015 and the date the BC Action is certified for settlement approval in court. The B.C. group includes all Canadians except those represented in the Quebec Settlement Class, who bought beef in Quebec during the same period. While the class actions began in B.C. and Quebec, they include Canadian residents in all provinces and territories. How big is the payout? “The Class Actions ask the courts to order the defendants to return any extra money that they have received due to this alleged conspiracy,” reads the class actions’ website. JBS has agreed to pay $7,498,700. National Beef has agreed to pay $495,000. The amount individual Canadians can expect has not yet been determined. I’m eligible. What do I do now? If you do not oppose the proposed settlements, and don’t want to opt out, you do not need to do anything right now. Important dates Aug. 10 If you would like to opt-out of the class action payments, you must do so by this date. Details are available here. Sept. 10 and Dec. 1 Courts in B.C. and Quebec will need to decide whether the settlements are fair. Those calls will be made during a hearing in B.C. on Sept. 10 and on Dec. 1 in Montreal. Documents related to the settlements are available here. The courts will also choose whether to grant lawyers their requested fees of 25 per cent of settlement amounts, plus disbursement and taxes. People outside Quebec who want to comment or object to the proceedings can do so by Sept. 9. Quebecers can file their responses by Nov. 30.
