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In September, Big Dairy settled a lawsuit for over $50 million, which claimed it conspired to kill off 500,000 cows in an effort to gouge milk prices. Now, milk lovers in 15 states can potentially reap the rewards of this lawsuit by visiting the website, boughtmilk.com.


The class action suit alleged that in 2003, the National Milk Producers Federation and its subsidiary, Cooperatives Working Together, began paying “above-market prices for dairy cows owned by member farmers, and sent them to be slaughtered before they would have otherwise.” According to the complaint, this was in order to “reduce the supply of milk, eliminate competition and significantly reduce the number of dairy farmers competing in the market in order to increase the price of raw farm milk.”

Steve Berman, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, told USA Today that the program to slaughter cows was a “classic price-fixing scheme.”


The dairy industry has found itself embroiled in a number antitrust lawsuits in the past decade. In June, the Dairy Farmers of America, Dairy Marketing Services, and Dean Foods settled a class action suit for $50 million after dairy farmers claimed the organizations colluded to decrease raw milk prices in the northeast. In 2013, the Dairy Farmers of America and others paid $158.6 million after they were accused of “violating antitrust laws by conspiring to control the supply chain and prices for milk in the Southeast.” In 2010, Dean Foods paid northeast dairy farmers a $30 million as a settlement for yet another antitrust lawsuit.

Even though Big Dairy still denies the latest allegations, they’re still paying up big time. Anyone who bought dairy products from 2003 to the present and lives in any of the following states—Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin—is eligible for a still undetermined amount that depends on how many folks claim rebates.

As New York-based milk lover—I love milk—I’m not eligible to receive any of the settlement. But many of you can, simply by clicking here and submitting a claim before January 31, 2017.

[USA Today, Bloomberg]