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Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association Class-Action Lawsuit Settlement

Frequently Asked Questions

• Will there be any more distributions to Class members?

No. The case has been closed, and all available funds and liquidated assets have been disbursed. All distributions to Class Members have been made as approved and ordered by the Court.

• Will a 1099 relating to the distributions be sent to me for 2025?

No. No payments or distributions were made to any Class member during the 2025 calendar year.

• I did not get a distribution. Why not?

You are not on the list of eligible Class members. The deadlines passed in 2021-22 for beiong listed as eligible to receive a share of the distributions.

• Has the Co-op been dissolved?

Yes, the Co-op has been completely dissolved. Through a Dissolution Committee appointed by the Court, the Co-op liquidated assets and wrapped up its obligations. Articles of Dissolution were filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State, and a report required by Kentucky statute was prepared and filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State, the Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture, the Dean of UK’s College of Agriculture, and the Court. A 12/22/25 Order found that the Dissolution Committee had completed its duties and closed the case.

• Where else did proceeds from the Co-op’s dissolution go?

In accordance with a partial settlement approved by the Court and other Orders issued to implement the dissolution and distributions to eligible class members, dissolution proceeds also paid for: expenses of the dissolution (including salaries, sale costs, and professional fees); services of a specialized administrator (Angeion Group) for handling paperwork, maintaining a qualified settlement fund, and distributions to Class members; fees and expenses for Class Counsel representing the interests of the Class members (as a whole) in the distributions and other steps to implement Court orders; and, payments to two law firms (Billings Law Firm, PLLC and McBrayer PLLC) for work and expenses in pursuing the dissolution of the Co-op. The Court exercised oversight of what was paid and to whom.

Money left over after the distributions to Class members and payment of expenses and fees was then divided evenly and disbursed in November 2025 to four non-profit organizations. Recipients were chosen to satisfy legal requirements and with a goal of benefitting the public in ways connected to agriculture and the Kentucky court system. The recipient non-profits were:

• Murray State University’s Hutson School of Agriculture
• Western Kentucky University’s Department of Agriculture and Food Science,
• Morehead State University’s Department of Agricultural Sciences
• the Kentucky IOLTA Fund, which supports programs for providing legal services to Kentuckians who might not otherwise be able to afford them.

The donation to each of the three state university programs endowed or contributed to an agriculture scholarship in the name of the Co-op.

• Where can I get information about the Burley and Dark Tobacco Producer Association? (It received some of a Fund set aside by the Co-op before dissolution began).

Information about the set-aside $1.5 million fund (“the Fund”) and the Burley and Dark Tobacco Producer Association (“the BDTPA”) can be found under the Important Documents tab, and includes:

• the 7/28/21 Order Approving Partial Settlement, which on pages 15-23 discusses and gives directions about the Fund and the BDTPA
• a BDTPA report about its first year (2022)
• BDTPA’s Bylaws

More information about the BDTPA is available elsewhere online, including:

• its 2/10/21 Articles of Incorporation and annual reports filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State
• its website, https://tobaccoproducers.co, which includes information about how to contact the BDTPA
• a 1/30/23 UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment article, “Introducing a New Organization Supporting Tobacco Growers”

• I have a question or problem not answered on this website. Who do I ask about it?

For general information, contact the Class Counsel team* by sending an email to ClassCounsel@mcbrayerfirm.com or calling 1-859-551-3622.

You may have had your own individual lawyer for this case, who represented you for a limited period of time or may still be advising you about this case or other matters. Consult your own lawyer if you want legal advice about your individual interests regarding this case.

* The Court appointed Katherine K. Yunker and Jason R. Hollon, from the law firm of McBrayer PLLC, to represent members of the settlement class. These lawyers are referred to as Class Counsel. Class Counsel represented the interests of the Class as a whole, rather than the particular interests of individual class members. By its 12/22/25 Final Order Closing Case, the Court released Class Counsel, finding that they had concluded their duties.