$900,000 settlement agreement reached in Prestige Feed Products case

A $900,000 settlement was reached between Prestige Feed Products and neighbors near its closed Mount Prospect plant.

The class action lawsuit claimed residents living near the facility at 431 N. Lakeview Court in Mount Prospect suffered hardship as a result of odors and noise.

Since the business opened in 2019, nearby residents, businesses, and even a school complained about smells they likened to “burned cheese.”

After extensive litigation with Mount Prospect and Des Plaines, the settlement was reached last year, leading to Prestige shutting down operations.

In the settlement, Prestige Feed Products LLC and Cereal Byproducts Co. Inc. are released from further claims. They deny any wrongdoing and say they settled to avoid the costs of ongoing litigation.

The defendants and/or their insurers will pay $900,000 into a settlement fund.

Anyone who owned, leased or rented residential property within a half-mile of Prestige have until June 5 to opt out or object. They have until June 20 to submit a claim.

Those who stay in the class will release all claims against the defendants related to odors, noise or any physical reactions from the facility.

Class action attorneys are eligible to ask for up to one-third of the settlement value.

Additionally, attorneys will seek a $10,000 service award for plaintiffs and Des Plaines residents Mary Beth Stillmaker and Sargon Merza — who lived near the defunct plant — for their efforts on behalf of the class.

The settlement needs court approval. A fairness hearing is set for July 21 in Cook County circuit court.

A separate lawsuit against Prestige by the state of Illinois is still active and may go to trial.

“The main thing is that they're gone,” Stillmaker said. “A lot of us believe that if we didn't file this class-action lawsuit, they would still be operating and we would all still be suffering.”