In re Broiler Chicken Grower Antitrust Litigation (No. IID)

Summary

The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation orders five related actions involving alleged agreements among broiler chicken integrators not to compete for growers and alleged anticompetitive use of Agri Stats cost data to be transferred to the District of Utah. The actions are centralized for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings under MDL No. 3167 and assigned to Judge Robert J. Shelby. The Panel concludes that centralization will promote efficiency, avoid duplicative discovery, and prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings.

Holdings

1. The five actions should be centralized because they involve common questions of fact and centralization will serve the convenience of the parties and witnesses and promote the just and efficient conduct of the litigation.
2. The District of Utah is the most appropriate transferee district for the centralized litigation.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the five actions should be centralized under 28 U.S.C. § 1407 because they involve common questions of fact.
2. Whether the District of Utah was the appropriate transferee district for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings.

Disposition

other