Judgement and entered a Final Judgment in favor of Seaboard Marine. On September 1, 2022, the Plaintiffs appealed the Final Judgment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The Plaintiffs’ appeal is pending.
As to the suit against Seaboard Corporation, on October 21, 2021, the Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint which principally added allegations that there were other callings made by Seaboard Marine at the Port of Mariel and that Seaboard Corporation engaged in a pattern of doing business with individuals and entities in contravention of U.S. foreign policy. Seaboard Corporation filed a Motion to Dismiss which is pending. On September 28, 2022, the Delaware District Court stayed this lawsuit against Seaboard Corporation until 30 days after the outcome of the appeal in the Seaboard Marine case.
The operative complaints in each lawsuit seek unspecified damages (including treble damages) and pre-filing interest as provided in the Act; pre-judgment interest; attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses; and such other relief as is just and proper. Seaboard Corporation and Seaboard Marine have meritorious defenses to the claims alleged in these matters and intend to vigorously defend these matters. It is impossible at this stage either to determine the probability of a favorable or unfavorable outcome resulting from either of these suits, or to reasonably estimate the amount of potential loss or range of potential loss, if any, resulting from the suits. However, the outcome of litigation is inherently unpredictable and subject to significant uncertainties, and if unfavorable, could result in a material liability.
Pork Antitrust Litigation
On June 28, 2018, twelve indirect purchasers of pork products filed a class action complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota (the “District Court”) against several pork processors, including Seaboard Foods LLC and Agri Stats, Inc., a company described in the complaint as a data sharing service. The complaint also named Seaboard Corporation as a defendant. Additional class action complaints with similar claims on behalf of putative classes of direct and indirect purchasers were later filed in the District Court, and three additional actions by standalone plaintiffs (including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) were filed in or transferred to the District Court. The consolidated actions are styled In re Pork Antitrust Litigation. The operative complaints allege, among other things, that beginning in January 2009, the defendants conspired and combined to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the price of pork products in violation of U.S. antitrust laws by coordinating output and limiting production, allegedly facilitated by the exchange of non-public information about prices, capacity, sales volume and demand through Agri Stats, Inc. The complaints on behalf of the putative classes of indirect purchasers also assert claims under various state laws, including state antitrust laws, unfair competition laws, consumer protection statutes, and common law unjust enrichment. The relief sought in the respective complaints includes treble damages, injunctive relief, pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and attorneys’ fees. On October 16, 2020, the District Court denied defendants’ motions to dismiss the amended complaints, but the District Court later dismissed all claims against Seaboard Corporation without prejudice.
In 2021 and 2022, additional standalone plaintiffs filed similar actions in other federal courts throughout the country, several of which name Seaboard Corporation as a defendant. These actions have been or are expected to be conditionally transferred to Minnesota for pretrial proceedings pursuant to an order by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Also in 2021, the states of New Mexico and Alaska filed civil cases in state court against substantially the same defendants, including Seaboard Foods LLC and Seaboard Corporation, based on substantially similar allegations.
Seaboard believes that it has meritorious defenses to the claims alleged in these matters and intends to vigorously defend these matters. It is impossible at this stage either to determine the probability of a favorable or unfavorable outcome resulting from these suits, or to reasonably estimate the amount of potential loss or range of potential loss, if any, resulting from the suits.
Cereoil and Nolston Litigation
On March 20, 2018, the bankruptcy trustee (the “Trustee”) for Cereoil Uruguay S.A. (“Cereoil”) filed a suit in the Bankruptcy Court of First Instance in Uruguay that was served during the second quarter of 2018, naming as parties Seaboard Corporation and its subsidiaries, Seaboard Overseas Limited (“SOL”) and Seaboard Uruguay Holdings Ltd. (“Seaboard Uruguay”). Seaboard Corporation has a 45% indirect ownership of Cereoil. The suit seeks an order requiring Seaboard Corporation, SOL and Seaboard Uruguay to reimburse Cereoil the amount of $22 million, contending that deliveries of soybeans to SOL pursuant to purchase agreements should be set aside as fraudulent conveyances. Seaboard believes that it has meritorious defenses to the claims alleged in this matter and intends to vigorously defend this matter. It is impossible at this stage to determine the probability of a favorable or unfavorable outcome resulting from this suit. In the event of an adverse ruling, Seaboard and its two subsidiaries could be ordered to pay the amount of $22 million plus