“Cooperatives Working Together actually had information about its so-called ‘dairy herd retirement,’ program on its own website, along with economic analysis … showing how much the industry profited from the program,” Leahy said. “We took that information and analyzed the applicable law.”

At least some of that data is still online. A 2009 analysis by Scott Brown of the University of Missouri-Columbia found that between 2004 and 2008, herd retirement added an average $0.59 per 100 pounds of milk. Brown did not immediately reply to a request for comment from HuffPost.

But CWT claims that the program was not about prices. The group’s website includes a “frequently asked questions” section about the program, which it characterizes as a “voluntary self-help farmer-funded program that allowed dairy farmers who wanted to stop farming, to exit farming altogether.”

Jim Mulhern, NMPF president and CEO, called the settlement “the most sensible and responsible course of action” in a statement, while noting that the defendants were not found guilty of violating any laws.

“It is important to note that the court has found no antitrust violation and CWT makes no admission of wrongdoing in this settlement,” he said. The group declined to comment beyond the prepared statement.

That said, Leahy is still counting the decision as a victory.

“This settlement sends a message to the dairy industry that they cannot harm people and animals out of simple greed without any accountability,” she said. “They are not above the law.”