Corteva settles with states over loyalty program

A multistate coalition of Attorneys General have reached a $35 million settlement in a suit against Corteva, Inc. The FTC and states sued Corteva for conducting a loyalty program that violated monopoly laws and illegally limited the sale of generic, less-expensive competing pesticides. Iowa will receive approximately $2.4 million.  The suit claimed Corteva’s loyalty programs paid distributors to limit how much they sold of generic and rival manufacturers’ products. That, in turn, raised farmers’ costs because it stifled competition by keeping less expensive generic alternatives off the shelves and permitted Corteva to maintain high prices on its products. The original lawsuit was filed against both Corteva and Syngenta, but the case against Syngenta is ongoing. The FTC’s co-plaintiffs include California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.