SALISBURY, MD. — A Maryland federal judge issued final approval for a $60.7 million settlement for Perdue Farms Inc. regarding claims of a conspiracy to suppress employee wages.

Judge Stephanie Gallagher approved the agreement that was originally announced in March 2023. Perdue agreed to the settlement back in December 2022. 

In 2019, workers sued multiple poultry processors, including Perdue Farms, for allegedly violating the Sherman Act by conspiring to drive down hourly wages and salaries at poultry processing operations for more than 10 years.

The plaintiffs previously alleged that the companies conspired through the exchange of compensation data provided by consulting companies Agri Stats Inc. and Webber, Meng, Sahl and Company Inc. The plaintiffs also alleged company executives held “off the books” meetings, and managers exchanged future compensation plans across plants via phone calls and electronic surveys.

 “To be clear, we deny these allegations, and Perdue’s record of competitive wages and benefits speaks for itself,” the company said in December. “As we remain focused on providing high quality protein to families across the country, we felt it would be best to avoid the expense of protracted litigation and put these claims behind us.”