Pork producers win dismissal of price-fixing lawsuits - U.S. judge
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday dismissed antitrust lawsuits accusing several U.S. pork companies of conspiring to limit supply in the $20 billion-a-year market, in order to inflate prices and their own profits at the expense of consumers and other purchasers.
Chief Judge John Tunheim of the federal court in Minneapolis said the plaintiffs failed to show parallel conduct among the companies, whose combined U.S. market share exceeds 80%, to suggest they had conspired beginning in 2009 to fix prices.
The defendants included Hormel Foods Corp, the JBS USA unit of Brazils JBS SA, WH Group Ltds Smithfield Foods Inc, and Tyson Foods Inc, among others, as well as data provider Agri Stats Inc.
They said the plaintiffs failed to allege any agreement to rig prices, and that supply and capacity actually increased.
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BUSINESS NEWS AUGUST 8, 2019 / 4:43 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Jonathan Stempel
3 MIN READ
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pork-lawsuit/pork-producers-win-dismissal-of-price-fixing-lawsuits-u-s-court-ruling-idUSKCN1UY2PS
sandensea
(21,640 posts)And plenty of bull.
canuckledragger
(1,644 posts)They have a monopoly and want to protect it, and don't give a fuck about the low wage earners that have to buy their shit at inflated prices.
sandensea
(21,640 posts)Government pork for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
djg21
(1,803 posts)Section 1 of the Sherman Act prohibits agreements in restraint of trade. Parallel conduct evidences a tacit agreement. The market was concentrated, meaning a relatively small number of competitors held a significant share of the market, but no one company held a monopoly. If one did, there would have been a monopolization claim brought under Sherman Act section 2.
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djg21
(1,803 posts)Dont be an asshole.