Lamb Weston settles in Umatilla groundwater case

EAGLE, Idaho — Potato processor Lamb Weston said in a regulatory filing that it entered a settlement agreement with plaintiffs in a 2024 case involving groundwater quality in Eastern Oregon’s Lower Umatilla River Basin. Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. in the Nov. 12 Form 8-K filing said it will pay $25 million into a settlement fund. The settlement “does not include any admission of liability or wrongdoing, and Lamb Weston continues to dispute the claims in this matter,” according to the filing. Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. subsidiary Lamb Weston Inc. and several other defendants were named in class action private plaintiffs filed in Oregon U.S. District Court. Plaintiffs alleged defendants’ business operations contributed to excessive nitrate levels in Lower Umatilla River Basin groundwater. The Nov. 11 settlement “does not include any admission of liability or wrongdoing, and Lamb Weston continues to dispute the claims in this matter,” according to the 8-K.

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