SONIC INDUSTRIES SERVICES INC., v. CARGILL, INC., CARGILL MEAT SOLUTIONS CORPORATION (A/K/A CARGILL PROTEIN A/K/A CARGILL PROTEIN - NORTH AMERICA), JBS S.A., JBS USA FOOD COMPANY, SWIFT BEEF COMPANY, JBS PACKERLAND, INC., et al.

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The parent companies of Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s, Sonic, and Whataburger sued Cargill, Inc., Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., JBS S.A., JBS USA Food Company, JBS Packerland, Inc., National Beef Packing Company, Swift Beef Company, Tyson Foods, Inc., and Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. for allegedly conspiring to limit the supply and fix the prices of beef sold to the fast food chains in the U.S. wholesale market in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Each of the five nearly identical lawsuits against the world’s largest meat processing and packing companies were filed in the same court, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. These plaintiffs are ARCOP, Inc., CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., Restaurant Services, Inc., Sonic Industries Services, Inc. (Sonic), and Whatabrands, LLC.

[To accompany Federal Court Case Law Update "Five Major Fast Food Chains File Beef Price Fixing Lawsuits Against Meatpackers Cargill, Swift, JBS, and Tyson" from Brooks Animal Law Digest Issue No. 170.]