On November 17, 2008, the Honorable Noel L. Hillman of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey entered an order approving a $24 million pet food litigation settlement agreement in In re: Pet Food Products Liability Litigation, Master File No. 07 CV 2867. In that class action, pet owners alleged that pet food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, distributors, repackagers and retailers contributed to the pet food and/or treats containing contaminated wheat gluten and/or rice protein concentrate. Finkelstein Thompson LLP was one of the class counsel.
The plaintiffs commenced over 100 class actions on behalf of all persons who purchased, used or obtained, or whose pets consumed, any cat or dog food or treats that allegedly contained contaminated wheat gluten and/or rice protein. The plaintiffs allege state consumer protection and deceptive trade practice statute violations, product liability, warranty and negligence claims. These class action cases were consolidated by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation and transferred to the District Court of New Jersey. After several months of cross-country and cross-border negotiations between the parties, class counsel was able to recover $24 million for the benefit of a class allegedly affected by this conduct.
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