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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 9 Months Ended
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Jul. 28, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | NOTE I - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Except as described below, there were no material changes outside the ordinary course of business during the quarter and nine months ended July 28, 2024, to the contractual obligations and other commitments last disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 29, 2023. Legal Proceedings: The Company is a party to various legal proceedings related to the ongoing operation of its business, including claims both by and against the Company. At any time, such proceedings typically involve claims related to product liability, labeling, contracts, antitrust regulations, intellectual property, competition laws, employment practices, or other actions brought by employees, customers, consumers, competitors, or suppliers. The Company establishes accruals for its potential exposure, as appropriate, for claims against the Company when losses become probable and reasonably estimable. However, future developments or settlements are uncertain and may require the Company to change such accruals as proceedings progress. Resolution of any currently known matter, either individually or in the aggregate, is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity. Pork Antitrust Litigation Beginning in June 2018, a series of putative class action complaints were filed against the Company, as well as several other pork-processing companies and a benchmarking service called Agri Stats, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota styled In re Pork Antitrust Litigation (the Pork Antitrust Litigation). Class Plaintiffs consist of Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs, Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs, and Consumer Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs. The Class Plaintiffs allege, among other things, that beginning in January 2009, the defendants conspired and combined to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the price of pork and pork products—including through the use of Agri Stats—in violation of federal antitrust laws. The complaints on behalf of the putative classes of indirect purchasers also include causes of action under various state unfair competition laws, consumer protection laws, and unjust enrichment common laws. The plaintiffs seek treble damages, injunctive relief, pre- and post-judgment interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees. Since the original filing, certain Non-Class Direct-Action Plaintiffs including the Offices of the Attorney General in New Mexico and Alaska, have opted out of class treatment and are proceeding with individual direct actions making similar claims, and others may do so in the future. Although the Company strongly denies liability, continues to deny the allegations asserted by the Class Plaintiffs, and believes it has valid defenses, to avoid the uncertainty, risk, expense, and distraction of continued litigation involving the Class Plaintiffs, the Company executed settlement agreements providing for payments by the Company to the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs of $4.9 million, the Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs of $2.4 million, and the Consumer Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs of $4.5 million. The settlement amounts were recorded in Selling, General, and Administrative in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the second quarter of fiscal 2024. Payments totaling $7.3 million were made in the third quarter of fiscal 2024, and $4.5 million is reflected within Accrued Expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. The $4.5 million settlement amount was paid in August 2024, subsequent to the end of the third quarter. The Company continues to defend against the claims of the Non-Class Direct-Action Plaintiffs. The Company has not recorded any liability for the non-class matters as it does not believe a loss is probable, and it cannot reasonably estimate any reasonably possible loss as the Company believes that it has valid and meritorious defenses against the allegations. Turkey Antitrust Litigation Beginning in December 2019, a series of putative class action complaints were filed against the Company, as well as several other turkey-processing companies and a benchmarking service called Agri Stats, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois styled In re Turkey Antitrust Litigation. The plaintiffs allege, among other things, that from at least 2010 to 2017, the defendants conspired and combined to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the price of turkey products—including through the use of Agri Stats—in violation of federal antitrust laws. The complaints on behalf of the putative classes of indirect purchasers also include causes of action under various state unfair competition laws, consumer protection laws, and unjust enrichment common laws. The plaintiffs seek treble damages, injunctive relief, pre- and post-judgment interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees. Since the original filing, certain direct-action plaintiffs have opted out of class treatment and are proceeding with individual direct actions making similar claims, and others may do so in the future. The Company has not recorded any liability for these matters as it does not believe a loss is probable, and it cannot reasonably estimate any reasonably possible loss as the Company believes that it has valid and meritorious defenses against the allegations. Poultry Wages Antitrust Litigation In December 2019, a putative class of non-supervisory production and maintenance employees at poultry-processing plants in the continental U.S. filed an amended consolidated class action complaint against Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc. and various other poultry processing companies in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland styled Jien, et al. v. Perdue Farms, Inc., et al. (the Poultry Wages Antitrust Litigation). In the operative amended complaint filed in February 2022, the plaintiffs allege that, since 2000, the defendants directly and through wage surveys and a benchmarking service exchanged information regarding compensation in an effort to depress and fix wages and benefits for employees at poultry-processing plants, feed mills, and hatcheries in violation of federal antitrust laws. The complaint sought, among other things, treble monetary damages, punitive damages, restitution, and pre- and post-judgment interest, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief. In July 2022, the Court partially granted the Company’s motion to dismiss, and dismissed plaintiffs’ per se wage-fixing claim as to the Company. Although the Company strongly denies liability, continues to deny the allegations asserted by the plaintiffs, and believes it has valid defenses, to avoid the uncertainty, risk, expense, and distraction of continued litigation, the Company executed a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs on August 20, 2024, to settle this matter for the payment of $3.5 million. The settlement remains subject to Court approval. The Company recorded the agreed-upon settlement amount in Selling, General, and Administrative in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and in Accrued Expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. The agreed-upon settlement amount will be paid following preliminary Court approval. Red Meat Wages Antitrust Litigation In November 2022, a putative class of non-supervisory production and maintenance employees at “red meat” processing plants in the continental U.S. filed a class action complaint against the Company and various other beef- and pork-processing companies in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado styled Brown, et al. v. JBS USA Food Co., et al. (the Red Meat Wages Antitrust Litigation). In the operative amended complaint filed in January 2024, the plaintiffs allege that, since 2000, the defendants directly and through wage surveys and a benchmarking service exchanged information regarding compensation in an effort to depress and fix wages and benefits for employees at beef- and pork-processing plants in violation of federal antitrust laws. The complaint sought, among other things, treble monetary damages, punitive damages, restitution, and pre- and post-judgment interest, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief. Although the Company strongly denies liability, continues to deny the allegations asserted by the plaintiffs, and believes it has valid defenses, to avoid the uncertainty, risk, expense, and distraction of continued litigation, the Company executed a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs on August 20, 2024, to settle this matter for the payment of $13.5 million and the provision of certain data and information. The settlement remains subject to Court approval. The Company recorded the agreed-upon settlement amount in Selling, General, and Administrative in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and in Accrued Expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. The agreed-upon settlement amount will be paid following preliminary Court approval.

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