Fideres provided comprehensive consulting expert analysis supporting the filing of In re Turkey Antitrust Litigation (Case No. 1:19-cv-08318) in the Northern District of Illinois, examining price coordination patterns and market manipulation methodologies in the turkey industry involving Cargill Inc., Butterball LLC, and other major processors from 2010 through 2017.
Fideres conducted detailed econometric analysis of turkey pricing data and competitive information exchanges, examining market concentration patterns, production coordination indicators, and price movement synchronization among competing turkey suppliers. The consulting expert analysis employed statistical methodologies including structural break analysis and correlation studies to demonstrate how defendants shared competitively sensitive information through Agri Stats Inc. to artificially restrict production levels and inflate turkey prices across wholesale markets.
The comprehensive market manipulation analysis provided crucial evidentiary foundation for the antitrust complaint filed by direct purchasers including John Gross and Company Inc. and Olean Wholesale Grocery Cooperative. Fideres’s expert work supported allegations against turkey suppliers controlling approximately 80% of the American wholesale turkey market, with defendants including Perdue Farms Inc. and Hormel Foods Corp. facing price-fixing claims that have since resulted in settlements exceeding $37 million, including Cargill’s $32.5 million resolution and Tyson Foods’ earlier $4.62 million settlement.