Tuna End Purchaser Class Action Settlement

Settlements totaling $152.2 million have been reached to resolve a consolidated price-fixing class action lawsuit against major tuna product distributors, including, among others, Chicken of the Sea International (COSI); StarKist Company; Bumble Bee Foods LLC; and Bumble Bee’s parent companies, Lion Capital LLP, Lion Capital (Americas) Inc., and Big Catch Cayman LP.

A separate settlement with Chicken of the Sea was previously approved by the court in July 2022. Now, two more settlements have been reached with StarKist and the Lion companies that look to resolve allegations that the manufacturers illegally conspired to fix the prices of packaged tuna products between 2011 and 2015.

If the StarKist and Lion deals are approved, StarKist will pay $130 million to settle the claims, and the Lion companies will pay $6 million. These settlements, when combined with the $16.2 million in benefits provided by the Chicken of the Sea settlement, create a $152.2 million settlement fund.

The new class action settlements cover any person or entity residing in Arizona, Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia or Wisconsin who, between June 1, 2011 and July 1, 2015, purchased packaged tuna in cans or pouches smaller than 40 ounces for their own consumption (and not for resale) produced by any of the defendants, their related entities or a co-conspirator.

Companies that bought packaged tuna products directly from the defendants in the United States between June 1, 2011 and July 31, 2015 should visit TunaDirectPurchaserCase.com for settlement information specific to direct purchasers.

Yes. The court-approved website—TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com—was launched to provide a platform for consumers to learn about the class action settlements, submit a tuna claim form or get in touch with the settlement administrator.

Head to this page to submit a tuna end purchaser claim form online on the official settlement website. You can also download a PDF tuna settlement claim form or contact the settlement administrator to request a paper copy to return by mail.

The website adds that if you already filed a claim in the settlement with Chicken of the Sea, you do not need to file another claim for payment in the new tuna class action settlements.

Yes. You must file a claim by December 31, 2024 to be eligible to receive a tuna settlement payment.

The court still has to ultimately approve the Lion companies and StarKist tuna settlements before payments are issued. A final approval hearing is scheduled for November 22, 2024, after which time the judge will decide whether to officially green-light the terms of the deals.

Class members typically get paid after a settlement receives final approval from the court and any appeals are resolved. The tuna lawsuit payout date would therefore likely be sometime after November 22, 2024.

The tuna lawsuit settlements involve packaged tuna products from Chicken of the Sea, StarKist and Bumble Bee.

The consolidated class action lawsuit, filed in May 2016, alleged that the big-name tuna producers violated antitrust and unfair competition laws by conspiring to inflate the price of packaged seafood products, causing consumers to overpay.

The tuna class action lawsuit—In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation—argued that the companies had for years unfairly profited at the expense of consumers. According to the suit, the manufacturers had artificially raised the cost of these items to “record highs” despite a decrease in demand and a decline in consumption across the United States since 2006.

The settlements detailed on this page, including the previous deal with COSI, will resolve years of litigation between the plaintiffs and tuna producers. Notably, defendant Bumble Bee filed for bankruptcy in November 2019 and was subsequently dismissed from the class action lawsuit.