Defunct Meat Producer Inks $253,700 Deal Over Benefit Statements

R.L. Zeigler Co. signed a $253,700 class settlement with employees who said the defunct Alabama meat producer failed to release their retirement funds or give them details about their benefits.

The deal is expected to provide equal payments to about 178 participants in Zeigler’s retirement plan who weren’t given required benefit statements. Attorneys’ fees will be paid separately from the settlement, and Zeigler won’t challenge a fee request of up to $265,00, according to an unopposed settlement motion filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

• The 2023 lawsuit said Zeigler refused to distribute workers’ ...