CWT settles cattle lawsuit

ARLINGTON, Va. — Cooperatives Working Together has reached an out-of-court settlement with the defendants in the civil action titled Kessler v. Greenville Livestock, Inc., which was filed in the Circuit Court for St. Clair County, Illinois, Sept. 1.
The National Milk Producers Federation, which manages CWT, had joined with Illinois dairy farmer Kevin Kessler, and Kessler Dairy Inc., as a plaintiff in the action.
The dispute involved transactions related to CWT’s herd retirement program. By agreement with defendants, the terms of the settlement will not be disclosed. However, all parties are satisfied that the settlement resolves the case fairly.
Jerry Kozak, NMPF President and CEO, said, “We have always fully investigated every report involving allegations about the proper operation of Cooperatives Working Together, and we felt, in this situation, that we needed to take legal action. The settlement agreement we have made with the defendants preserves the integrity of the CWT program and protects dairy farmers’ investment in CWT.”
Kessler and National Milk Producers Federation were represented in this action by its outside general counsel, Kevin J. Brosch of DTB Associates, LLP, Washington, D.C.; James A. McGurk of Chicago; and Russell K. Scott of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., Belleville, Ill.
Cooperatives Working Together is funded by dairy cooperatives and individual dairy farmers, who contribute 10 cents per hundredweight assessment on their milk production through December 2010. The money raised by CWT’s investment is being apportioned between two supply management programs that strengthen and stabilize the national all milk price.
For more on CWT’s activities, visit www.cwt.coop.