Dairy Price-Fixing Case Settled; Could Mean Cash For You

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Residents from more than a dozen states could be eligible for reimbursement if they bought dairy or dairy products since 2003 thanks to a class action lawsuit over inflated milk prices.

A Bay Area law firm filed the lawsuit back in 2011 after an animal welfare group discovered possible price-fixing in the dairy industry.

Compassion Over Killing says they discovered that several dairy producers, representing nearly 70 percent of the milk industry, were conspiring to slaughter cows early – a practice that would limit the raw milk supply and drive prices up.

The "head retirement program" went on between 2003 and 2010, the lawsuit claims.

All the dairy producers named in the lawsuit denied the claims, but agreed to settle the case for $52 million.

Anyone who brought milk, or fresh milk products, from 2003 until now can now file to a part of the settlement. The settlement is open to residents of Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia or Wisconsin.

No proof of purchase is needed to be part of the settlement.

People can expect to receive $30 or as much as $65, with the amount depending on how many people will make a claim.

Anyone who wants to be part of the settlement can head to a website set up for the class action lawsuit: https://www.boughtmilk.com. The claim period will end on Jan. 31, 2017.