Caterpillar Inc. v. Jerryco Footwear, Inc.

880 F. Supp. 578, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20291, 1994 WL 772963
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. Illinois
DecidedNovember 17, 1994
DocketNo. 93-1506
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 880 F. Supp. 578 (Caterpillar Inc. v. Jerryco Footwear, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Caterpillar Inc. v. Jerryco Footwear, Inc., 880 F. Supp. 578, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20291, 1994 WL 772963 (C.D. Ill. 1994).

Opinion

ORDER

MIHM, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the Court for decision following the September 16 and 26,1994 evidentiary hearings on Rugged Footwear Company’s and Jonathan Werman’s Motion to Vacate or Modify the Court’s Preliminary Injunction Order entered September 2, 1994. Rugged’s and J. Werman’s Motion to Vacate or Modify the Court’s Preliminary Injunction Order (# 65) is DENIED. In rendering this decision, the Court has considered the testimony of the witnesses, the documents admitted into evidence, argument by counsel, Rugged and J. Werman’s Proposed Findings of Fact, and Caterpillar Inc.’s Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. Pursuant to Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law are set forth below. These Findings supplement the oral Findings made by the Court in open Court on September 26, 1994. These Findings are based solely on the evidence presented at the evi-dentiary hearings on this matter, and do not in any way prohibit or limit the Court from making different findings based on evidence which is presented at a trial on the merits.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff Caterpillar (“CAT”) is a Delaware corporation, with its principal place of business in Peoria, Illinois.

2. Defendant Jerryco Footwear, Inc. (“Jerryco”)' is a New York corporation, with its principal place of business formerly in Island Park, New York (Pltf.Ex. 13) and currently in Atlantic Beach, New York (Pltf.Ex. 37).

3. Defendant Cadco Imports, Inc. (“Cad-co”) is a Florida corporation, with its principal place of business in Lighthouse Point, Florida (Pltf.Ex. 66).

4. Defendant Rugged Footwear Company (“Rugged”) is a Florida corporation, with its principal place of business in Lighthouse Point, Florida (Pltf.Ex. 48) in the same offices as defendant Cadco (Sept. 16 Tr. 83).

5. Defendant Gerald Werman (“Wer-man”) is or was a resident of the State of New York. At relevant times herein defendant Werman was the President and Chief Executive Officer of defendants Jerryco and Cadco (PltfiExs. 19, 28, 32, 33, 66; Sept. 26 Tr. 183-84). At relevant times herein defendant Werman is or was also held out as the President and Chief Executive Officer of defendant Rugged (Pltf.Ex. 32). At relevant times herein defendant Werman owned 100% of defendant Jerryco’s capital stock and owned 50% of Cadco’s and Rugged’s capital stock (Pltf.Ex. 37). Werman is or was one of two directors of Cadco (Pltf.Ex. 66).

6. Defendant Jonathan Werman (“J. Werman”) is a resident of the State of Florida. Between September 1988 and July 1992, J. Werman was Vice President of defendant Jerryco (Pltf.Exs. 1, 32). J. Werman was Vice President of defendant Cadco from and after July 1992 (Pltf.Exs. 1, 32, 66; Declaration of Jonathan Werman, sworn to September 12, 1994 (“J. Werman Decl.”) ¶ 1). In May 1993, J. Werman was held out to CAT as Vice President of defendant Rugged (PltfiExs. 28, 32; Sept. 26 Tr. 183-84), but he now claims to be the President of Rugged [582]*582(Sept. 16 Tr. 15; J. Werman Decl. ¶ 1). At relevant times herein J. Werman owned 50% of defendants Cadco’s and Rngged’s capital stock (J. Werman Decl. ¶¶ 13, 22). Defendant Werman is a first cousin of defendant J. Werman’s father (J. Werman Decl. ¶ 9). J. Werman is or was one of two directors of Cadco (Pltf. 66).

7. Defendants Werman and J. Werman are each directors of and each own 50% of the capital stock of a Rugged subsidiary in London, England which was incorporated in February 1994, after the commencement of the this lawsuit (Sept. 16 Tr. 94-95; Pltf.Ex. 40). A Canadian subsidiary of Rugged which is wholly owned by Rugged Footwear U.S.A. was also formed since the commencement of this action. (Sept. 16 Tr. 94-95; Sept. 26 Tr. 27).

8. Defendants Werman and J. Werman own 50% of a Taiwanese entity, Nova International, which Werman and J. Werman used to make sales of CAT footwear in certain Asian markets (Sept. 16 Tr. 94; Pltf.Ex. 37; Sept 26 Tr. 54).

9. Defendants Werman and J. Werman were also directors of a Delaware corporation named Cadco Imports, Inc. (Pltf.Ex. 12; Sept 16 Tr. 51). In June 1994, J. Werman was President of a Delaware corporation named Rugged Footwear Company, Inc. (Pltf.Exs. 39, 46) whose office is in defendant Werman’s residence (Pltf.Ex. 46; Sept. 26 Tr. 103). Rugged of Delaware was incorporated in May 1993 (Pltf.Ex. 39).

10. Werman and J. Werman have offered no explanation for them use of dual corporate entities having identical corporate names.

11. Defendant Jerry Glicksman (“Glicks-man”) is or was a resident of the state' of New York. In May 1993, defendant Glicks-man was held out to CAT as an officer of defendant Jerryco (Pltf.Exs. 28, 32; Sept. 26 Tr. 183-84).

12. In June 1988, CAT entered into a written 5-year license agreement with defendant Jerryco (the “License”), under which Jerryco was granted an “exclusive, personal and nontransferable license to use” certain CAT trademarks on work boots and certain other footwear (Pltf.Ex. 61 § 2.1).

13. Under the License, Jerryco agreed to pay CAT specified percentage royalties on Jerryco’s sales of footwear bearing licensed CAT trademarks or trade dress. Jerryco further agreed to provide certified reports of Licensed Articles sold or otherwise disposed of by Jerryco and to maintain accurate and complete records showing in reasonable detail all pertinent information with respect to Licensed Articles sold by Jerryco. (Pltf.Ex. 61 §§ 3-4). The License contemplated Jer-ryco sales of Licensed Articles to subsidiaries, associated or affiliated companies, or agencies (Pltf.Ex. 61 § 1.3).

14. Between 1988 and December 1993, defendants Werman and Glicksman signed and caused defendant Jerryco to transmit to CAT periodically, through interstate mail and wire communications, royalty statements purporting to show Jerryeo’s sales of licensed articles and royalties due CAT under the license (Declaration of Bruce R. Wiegand, sworn to August 21, 1994 (‘Wiegand Decl.”) ¶¶3, 11; Pltf.Ex. 11). In fact, the royalty statements sent to CAT repeatedly and significantly understated the sales of licensed articles made by Jerryco or its affiliated, associated or related companies (Pltf.Ex. 53).

15. Between 1988 and January 1994, defendants Werman and Glicksman caused defendant Jerryco to report to CAT total sales of $28,295,897 (Pltf.Ex. 50). However, documents produced by defendants in discovery indicate that the defendants’ actual sales of Licensed Articles during this period was $82,236,735 (Pltf.Ex. 50). The underreport-ing of $53.9 million in CAT footwear sales was the cumulative result of at least eighteen false royalty statements transmitted to CAT quarterly between October 4,1989 and January 4, 1994 (Pltf.Exs. 53, 11) by means of U.S. mail or interstate wire communications (Wiegand Decl. ¶ 3).

16. As a direct and proximate result of the false royalty statements sent to CAT, more than $2.7 million in royalties owed to CAT under the License was diverted by defendants (PltfiEx. 56). Based on all of the evidence, including the completely noncredi-ble testimony of defendant J. Werman (Sept. 26 Tr. 212-213), the Court finds for purposes [583]

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Bluebook (online)
880 F. Supp. 578, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20291, 1994 WL 772963, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/caterpillar-inc-v-jerryco-footwear-inc-ilcd-1994.