New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a suit against Hillandale Farms, one of the country’s largest producers and wholesale distributors of eggs, alleging that the company gouged the prices of eggs during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the suit, Hillandale gouged the prices of more than four million cartons of eggs sold to major grocery chains, U.S. military facilities, and wholesale food distributors in March and April of 2020. This resulted in New York customers being charged up to four times the pre-pandemic price for one carton of eggs.
“As this pandemic ravaged our country, Hillandale exploited hardworking New Yorkers to line its own pockets,” said Attorney General James. “In less than two months, Hillandale made millions by cheating our most vulnerable communities and our servicemembers, actions that are both unlawful and truly rotten. I will always stand up for working people, especially when they are taken advantage of by corporate greed.”
The lawsuit seeks restitution from Hillandale for the consumers who were forced to pay unlawfully high prices for this essential food item.
In a statement, Hillandale denied the allegations, saying it was “shocked and dismayed” to learn of the suit.
“Historically, eggs, like some other commodities, have been subject to volatile pricing,” said the statement. “But our approach to pricing has been consistent for decades, and without complaint, whether that has led to profits or losses, and the last several months have been no exception.”
Hillandale also said it is prepared to defend against these allegations in court, if necessary.
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