A class action suit was filed by the
Adel-DeSoto-Minburn School District against Martin Brothers Distributing
and the Iowa Association for Educational Purchasing.. The premise of their
suit was that Martin Brothers conspired to restrain competition in the market
for the retail sale of food to schools and that Martin Brothers attempted to
monopolize that market in violation of Iowa antitrust laws.
The settlement agreement was filed
with the Clerk of District Court in Dallas County on July 31.
The key points of the Martin
Brothers settlement in the case are these:
·
Martin Brothers will pay $1,925,000 to create a settlement fund
which will provide monetary relief to the settlement class.
·
The settlement class is anyone who paid for a school lunch between
January 1, 2000, and July 31, 2014.
·
A third party will arrange to have notices published in an attempt
to reach 88% of Iowa’s residents. This means that notices will be
published in 14 of Iowa’s largest newspapers. The notice will direct
interested persons to a website.
·
Individuals in the settlement class may complete and submit
paperwork to receive reimbursement. Individuals in the class may receive
$3.50 for each year they attended a participating school district up to a
maximum of $50.00.
·
Any funds remaining after attorney’s fees and class members receive
their payments will be paid to participating school districts on a pro rata
basis.
WHO Television in Des Moines, Iowa
provided the article linked here which provides a brief description of the
lawsuit.
Iowa
School Food Settlement - Link to file a claim
