Missouri – Missouri’s legal battle against Tyson Foods is intensifying as Attorney General Andrew Bailey seeks permission to join a class-action lawsuit that accuses the food giant of breaching contracts and manipulating market prices by selling a key chicken processing plant to a noncompetitor. Four dissatisfied farmers originally filed a complaint in December 2023; this legal action is taking place in New Madrid County.
The dispute started when Tyson Foods closed its Dexter plant and then sold it to Cal-Maine Foods. With millions of debt, this decision not only taxed the farmers financially but also set off claims of intentional market manipulation. Tyson sought to intentionally lower chicken supply by selling to a noncompetitor, so inflating prices, according to the plaintiffs—an allegation that has angered the agricultural community throughout Missouri.
Bailey’s application to intervene, which was filed on Tuesday, revolves mostly on obtaining access to important records and depositions Tyson Foods has kept under wraps.
Emphasizing the requirement of openness in the procedures, the intervention will let the Attorney General access private material the defendant has now suppressed, therefore enabling comprehensive review.
Should the court grant Bailey’s request for permissive intervention, the dynamics of the lawsuit may be significantly altered and Tyson may be under more pressure to provide secret information and directly answer the claims. The Attorney General’s participation is expected to strengthen the case of the farmers, who directly suffered from Tyson’s activities.
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Investigative efforts by the Watchdog Writers Group and Investigate Midwest have shed light on Tyson’s dealings with Cal-Maine Foods. Their results point to a coordinated attempt to stop any potential legal complaints from the farmers about contract breaches. Along with feeding the litigation, this disclosure has drawn political interest.
After the plant closed last November, Bailey wrote a harsh letter to Tyson CEO Donnie King urging him to change his mind about closing or selling the facility to a party capable of ongoing operations including rivals. Furthermore, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has been outspoken about the matter, publicly accusing King of deceiving him and other stakeholders on the company’s objectives, which he described in a public letter dated just days before Bailey announced his decision to join the lawsuit on the social network X.
As of now, Tyson has produced over a thousand documents in relation to the case, yet the vast majority remain confidential. Plaintiff lawyers Brandon Boulware and Russell Oliver, who contend Tyson’s reserved approach may be a strategy to avoid legal consequences, find this lack of openness to be a sticking point.
Emphasizing the intention of the state to hold big businesses accountable, the potential inclusion of Missouri’s Attorney General in the lawsuit could signal a turning point in the case.
“We are grateful for the support from the state of Missouri,” Boulware said. “Tyson Foods owes them answers, especially its farmers.”
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All eyes are on the Missouri court as the legal procedures gather steam to see how this high-stakes agricultural conflict will be handled. The result might provide a major precedent for how big agribusinesses interact with the farmers who provide the backbone of American food supply.
