Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) says it will pay $50 million to settle a class action lawsuit with dairy farmers in 11 northeastern states and the District of Columbia.
The suit, filed against Dean Foods, DFA and its marketing arm Dairy Marketing Services in 2009 alleged the co-op worked with Dean Foods to monopolize the market for raw milk in the area.
Dean agreed to a $30 million settlement in 2011. DFA had previously offered a $50 million settlement with no admission of guilt but Judge Christina Reiss of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont rejected the offer. She cited objections from some of the farmers involved because the deal would not change the way the defendants do business and too much of the money would go to the lawyers.
While the total dollar amount is the same, the new settlement filed Wednesday addresses the concerns. In a statement from Monica Massey, Senior Vice President, Chief of Staff for DFA said, "The judge, in her written opinion, expressed several concerns with the original settlement. The attorneys for both the plaintiffs and defendants recently discussed and agreed to certain amendments to the original settlement.
"It is believed that these changes will address the concerns and we look forward to a final conclusion of the matter."
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