VT Judge Gives 1st OK To Settlement With Farmers

A Vermont judge has granted preliminary approval to a settlement that would require dairy processor Dean Foods Co. to pay Northeast farmers and their attorneys $30 million to settle antitrust allegations.

The Dallas-based company and the plaintiffs removed part of the proposed deal that would have required Dean to temporarily change its milk-buying practices in the region, because the company said it had already started to buy from independent farmers.

The settlement, which was given preliminary approval by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss on Wednesday, stems from a class-action lawsuit that accused Dean Foods; the cooperate Dairy Farmers of America; and the cooperative's marketing arm, Dairy Marketing Services, of working together to monopolize the market for raw milk in the Northeast, resulting in lower prices paid to dairy farmers.

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