Reference is made to the previously disclosed class-action complaints in the US
against Lerøy Seafood AS, Lerøy Seafood USA Inc. and five other producers and/or
sellers of Norwegian salmon (together with certain of their subsidiaries)
(collectively referred to as the Defendants), over claims concerning anti-
competitive behavior. While all Defendants reject that there is any basis for
the claims and consider the complaints to be entirely unsubstantiated, all
Defendants in the US class action related to the direct purchaser case have now,
following a mandatory mediation procedure, accepted a settlement offer from the
direct purchaser plaintiffs subject to approval by the court of Southern
District of Florida. The total settlement amount for all Defendants is USD 85
million.
All Defendants expressly reject the allegations regarding anti-competitive
behavior and strongly believe that the antitrust claims lack merit. Given that
the costs of litigation in the US are substantial, coupled with the timeline for
any litigation and required engagement of extensive internal resources, Lerøy
Seafood AS, Lerøy Seafood USA Inc. have nonetheless agreed to a settlement for
pure commercial purposes. The settlement does not involve any admission of
liability or wrongdoing.
The information included in this announcement is defined as inside information
pursuant to article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation and is publicly disclosed
in accordance with article 17 of the Market Abuse Regulation and section 5-12 of
the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
This stock exchange announcement was published by Sjur S. Malm, CFO at Lerøy
Seafood Group ASA, on 25 May 2022 at 17.30 CET.