After a one-month long trial, Dru Nielsen’s client, the retired Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation CEO, was acquitted by a jury in the United States District Court of Colorado. The high-profile federal criminal antitrust case was brought by the United States Justice Department’s Antitrust Division alleging a multi-year conspiracy to rig bids and fix prices in the national broiler chicken market in violation of the Sherman Act.
The first two trials ended in mistrials when the juries failed to reach a unanimous verdict as to any of the original ten defendants. In an unprecedented move, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division proceeded with a third trial, which the government pursued against a smaller group of five defendants.
Dru, who joined experienced attorneys from Moore & Van Allen, was an integral part of all three trial teams. Dru conducted voir dire, or jury selection, on behalf of the entire group of defendants in all three of the jury trials. In addition to conducting voir dire and the cross examinations of government witnesses, Dru delivered the opening and closing statements.
The case is U.S. v. Penn, et al. (Case No. 1:20-cr-00152) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
