Penalty Amount
$3,300,000
Attorney General Ellison secured a settlement with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch for illegally coordinating to manipulate egg prices. The companies secretly communicated to influence a daily price index, artificially raising costs for consumers. The settlement includes 53 million donated eggs, $3.3 million in payments, and compliance measures.
The companies must end illegal coordination, adopt compliance measures, designate antitrust compliance officers, donate 53 million eggs to food banks, and pay $3.3 million to the states.
In-house legal teams should review supply and procurement agreements for any clauses that reference benchmark pricing indices (e.g., Urner Barry) and ensure they include robust antitrust compliance provisions. Vendor agreements should prohibit coordination with competitors on pricing, bidding, or market data. Customer contracts should be checked for indemnification related to antitrust violations. Additionally, employment agreements should require antitrust training and designate compliance officers to monitor for collusion.
Entity
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/07/01_Egg-Prices.asp
04060 Cal Maine Order
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/docs/04060_Cal-Maine_Order.pdf
04060 Versova Order
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/docs/04060_Versova_Order.pdf
04060 Hickmans Order
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/docs/04060_Hickmans_Order.pdf
Minnesota Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/
"Cal-Maine Foods"
"$3.3 million"
"illegally coordinated for years to influence a daily price index for eggs, which artificially increased prices for retailers and consumers throughout the country"
"Joining Attorney General Ellison and DOJ in securing this settlement are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin."
"adopt compliance measures to prevent future violations, and fully cooperate with oversight by the states"
$3.3M
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, along with a bipartisan multistate coalition and the U.S. Department of Justice, settled with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch for colluding to manipulate egg prices. The companies secretly coordinated bidding activity to influence the Urner Barry price index, artificially inflating egg prices for consumers and retailers nationwide. The settlement requires the companies to pay $3.3 million, donate 53 million eggs to food banks, and implement compliance measures.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a consumer alert explaining how veterans, their families, and others who believe Trajector Holdings owes them money can file claims in the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The release announces no privacy violation, enforcement penalty, or remedy against the company.
Minnesota and 39 other attorneys general filed a notice in Character Technologies, Inc.’s bankruptcy proceedings raising concerns about the company’s safety and privacy practices and the sensitive information it holds, including children’s private chatbot conversations. The states seek protections for consumers in any sale or transfer of the business or assets; the filing does not impose a penalty or establish a final remedy.
The Minnesota Attorney General filed an Assurance of Discontinuance requiring Auto Tech Donations, Inc. to dissolve after finding that its solicitations and governance did not comply with state requirements. Its president was banned from forming or serving as an officer or director of nonprofits and must provide restitution to donors whose vehicles he resold for personal benefit.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of 26 states, counties, and cities filed a lawsuit challenging NHTSA’s rule weakening fuel-economy standards for new cars and light trucks. The coalition alleges the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act; the press release describes a lawsuit filing, not a monetary penalty or final judgment.
$35.0M
Minnesota, the FTC, and a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general reached a proposed settlement with Corteva over alleged loyalty programs that restricted pesticide distributors from buying lower-cost generic products. Corteva must end the challenged practices, comply with restrictions for 10 years, and pay $35 million to the state plaintiffs, including $1.25 million to Minnesota.