This website has been established to provide information to current and potential plaintiffs in the lawsuit captioned In re Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation, Case No. 08-mc-0511, which is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Paul L. Friedman. This case involves claims for relief under the 2008 Farm Bill (which is described below) brought by African-American farmers who believe they were the victims of discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in connection with federal farm credit or benefit programs between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 1996, and who sought participation in the earlier Pigford litigation but were unable to have their claims heard because they filed their claims after the October 12, 1999 deadline.
 
As a result of an order issued by the Court on August 8, 2008, all cases asserting claims under the 2008 Farm Bill will be consolidated before Judge Friedman and will be coordinated for all purposes. This website refers to this consolidated case as the "Consolidated Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation."
 
On December 15, 2008, Judge Friedman entered Case Management Order No. 1. This Order authorizes the law firms representing plaintiffs in the Consolidated Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation to operate this website.
 
The purpose of the website is to provide general information on the following issues:
 

• Case status
• Eligibility information
• Claims administration

 
This website is not designed to provide legal advice and should not be considered as providing legal advice. Transmission of the material on this site is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. By including a link to another site, the operators of this site intend no endorsement or implied association with any other site, organization or individual.
 
Individuals who are already part of the Consolidated Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation or who already have hired counsel should consult their lawyers for legal advice and should not rely on this website for legal advice. Individuals who have not hired a lawyer and who would like professional advice from a lawyer regarding a claim or potential claim under the Farm Bill may contact their own lawyer or one of the law firms already representing claimants in this Litigation, listed here. You may contact any of these firms for a free consultation to find out whether you may be eligible to participate in this Litigation.
 
Please note: You do not need to pay money to any individual, farm advocacy group, or law firm to bring a claim under the Farm Bill or to participate in this lawsuit. Paying money to an individual or group will not "reserve your spot" in the case, it will not increase your chance of success, and you will not receive a faster recovery.
 
As described below, this Consolidated Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation is related to an earlier case which was captioned Pigford v. Glickman. That case was a class action that already has been settled. This Litigation is not a class action, nor is it a "re-opening" of the Pigford case.
 
This website will be updated periodically and modified or supplemented, as appropriate, to reflect future developments in the Litigation. For additional information about the Consolidated Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation by phone, dial this toll-free phone number: 1 (866) 950-5547.
 
Any questions concerning the Pigford case should be directed to the Office of the Monitor at:
Phone (toll-free): 1-877-924-7483
Website: www.pigfordmonitor.org
P.O. Box 64511
St. Paul, MN 55164-0511