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Judge Allows Burford-Backed Lawsuit Against Turkey Producers to Proceed

By  |  July 1, 2025

A federal judge has ruled in favor of a subsidiary of litigation financier Burford Capital, allowing it to proceed with a lawsuit alleging price-fixing by several major turkey producers—even though the entity bringing the case has never purchased products from the defendants.

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    According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Sunil Harjani in Chicago rejected arguments made by Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, Hormel Foods, Butterball, and others, who contended that Burford’s subsidiary Carina Ventures lacked the legal standing to press the claims. The turkey producers argued the case violated public policy because Carina is a litigation funder, not a direct market participant.

    Harjani disagreed, finding that the legal framework does not prohibit such entities from participating in antitrust litigation. “As litigation funders continue to be involved in the legal system, the bounds of their viability will be tested,” Harjani noted in his ruling, emphasizing that any limitations on such involvement must be legislated by Congress rather than imposed by the courts.

    The decision represents a significant win for Burford Capital, recognized as the world’s largest litigation funding firm. Per Reuters, Carina Ventures filed the lawsuit in 2023 after acquiring rights tied to antitrust claims originally held by food distributor Sysco. While Sysco itself never formally joined the turkey price-fixing litigation, Burford had financed over $140 million in antitrust actions brought by Sysco against major meat processors since 2019.

    Read more: Turkey Opens Investigation into Apple and Resellers Over Alleged Price Fixing

    In court filings, the turkey producers had accused Burford and Carina of misusing the legal system. However, Harjani ruled that the defendants presented no evidence of misconduct. He also described Sysco as a “large and sophisticated corporation” capable of managing its own legal affairs without interference from the court or its opponents.

    The case, officially titled In re: Turkey Antitrust Litigation, is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois under case number 1:19-cv-08318.

    Source: Reuters