King Kullen, a supermarket chain based out of New York – with several locations on Long Island – has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the biggest egg producing companies in the country, alleging that they engaged in a widespread conspiracy to “artificially inflate” the prices of eggs sold at retail.
The lawsuit, filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana by DiCello Levitt, Cohen & Malad, Kirby McInerney, and Lockridge Grindal Nauen – the firm representing Kung Kullen – accuses Cal-Maine Foods, Rose Acre Farms, Versova Holdings, Hillandale Farms, Daybreak Foods, Urner Barry Publications, Egg Clearinghouse, United Egg Producers, and others of “engaging in a coordinated scheme to fix, raise, and maintain the price of conventional shell eggs nationwide,” a purported scheme that they say has “cost retailers and consumers hundreds of millions of dollars” since January 2022.
“This case is about restoring competition and fairness to a market that touches every American household,” said Partner Greg Asciolla, Chair of DiCello Levitt’s Antitrust and Competition Litigation Practice. “Egg producers and their co-conspirators have used their market power and control over industry benchmarks to drive up prices, leaving retailers and consumers to foot the bill. Now more than ever, the cost of groceries is a critical issue for families, and we are proud to represent those harmed by this conduct.”
The lawsuit alleges that, starting in January 2022, “the defendants used their dominant market positions and control over price reporting agencies to coordinate price increases, even as production costs fell and supply disruptions eased.”
The complaint further claims that “egg prices dropped dramatically only after news broke of a federal antitrust investigation into the industry in March 2025, strongly suggesting that prior prices were the result of coordinated, anticompetitive conduct.”
The lawsuit, according to court documents, seeks “damages, treble damages, disgorgement of profits, injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees, and other remedies under federal antitrust law.”
A copy of the full complaint can be read by clicking here.
