Colony Insurance Co. v. Custom AG Commodities, LLC

272 F. Supp. 3d 948
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Texas
DecidedJuly 10, 2017
DocketCivil Action No. 4:16-CV-83
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 272 F. Supp. 3d 948 (Colony Insurance Co. v. Custom AG Commodities, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Colony Insurance Co. v. Custom AG Commodities, LLC, 272 F. Supp. 3d 948 (E.D. Tex. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

AMOS L. MAZZANT, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Came on for consideration the reports of the United States Magistrate Judge in this action, this matter having been heretofore referred to the Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636. On June 16, 2017, the report of the Magistrate Judge (Dkt. # 44) was entered containing proposed findings of fact and recommendations that Plaintiff Colony Insurance Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 32) be granted, and that Defendant Diversified Ingredients, Inc.’s Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 34) and Defendant Custom Ag Commodities, LLC’s Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. #36) each be denied.

Having received the reports of the Magistrate Judge, and no objections thereto having been timely filed, the Court is of the opinion that the findings and conclusions of the Magistrate Judge are correct and adopts the Magistrate Judge’s report as the findings and conclusions of the Court.

It is, therefore, ORDERED that Defendant Diversified Ingredients, Inc.’s Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 34) and Defendant Custom Ag Commodities, LLC’s Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 36) each are DENIED.

It is further ORDERED that Plaintiff Colony Insurance Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 32) is GRANTED.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

[953]*953REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Christine A. Nowak, UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Pending before the Court are Plaintiff Colony Insurance Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment and Brief in Support (“Colony Motion for Summary Judgment”) [Dkt. 32], Defendant Diversified Ingredients, Inc.’s Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (“Diversified Motion for Summary Judgment”) [Dkt. 34], and Defendant Custom Ag Commodities, LLC’s Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (“Custom Ag Motion for Summary Judgment”) [Dkt. 36]. After reviewing the Motions, Responses [Dkts. 37-38; 41], Replies [Dkts. 42-43], and all other relevant filings,1 the Court recommends that Colony’s Motion for Summary Judgment be GRANTED, and the cross-motions filed by Diversified and Custom Ag be DENIED.

BACKGROUND

The above-captioned lawsuit arises from an insurance coverage dispute. In May of 2014, Nestle Purina PetCare Company (“Purina”) filed a false advertising lawsuit against The Blue Buffalo Company Ltd. (“Blue Buffalo”) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, 4:14-CV-00859-RWS. Purina’s complaint alleges that, directly contrary to the “True Blue Promise” touted in Blue Buffalo’s advertising, Blue Buffalo products contain substantial proportions of chicken/poultry by-product meal, along with corn and artificial preservatives. Purina alleges Blue Buffalo’s use of by-product meal dates back to at least 2009 and is directly contrary to Blue Buffalo’s product labels; Purina also asserts that Blue Buffalo’s advertising campaign related to such products dates back to 2013 [Dkt. 34-1 at pg. 9].2 Purina alleges “Blue Buffalo heaped praise upon its own products because they did not contain any chicken/poultry by-product meal — in contrast to ‘big name’ pet foods,” but these commercials were false, deceptive, wholly unsubstantiated and fully intended to injure Purina’s reputation [Dkt. 34-1 at pg. 6, 16]. Purina’s complaint demands recovery for false advertising and commercial disparagement under the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), along with state statutory and common law claims for deceptive trade practices, injurious falsehood, unfair competition, and unjust enrichment [Dkt. 34-1 at pg. 42-49].

In addition to the Purina lawsuit, Blue Buffalo faces class action litigation filed by consumers in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, 14-MD-02562-RWS. For the purposes of the insurance coverage action filed in this forum, the consumer class action litigation raises essentially the same false advertising allegations as the lawsuit filed by Purina [Dkt. 34-2].

[954]*954Blue Buffalo filed a third-party, complaint against Wilbur-Ellis Company (“Wilbur-Ellis”) and Diversified [Dkt. 41-1]. Diversified was Blue Buffalo’s ingredient broker for product supplies, and Wilbur-Ellis owned a plant, the Rosser facility, from which Diversified purchased chicken meal for Blue Buffalo’s products [Dkt. 32-2 at 4; 32-3 at 4]. Blue Buffalo’s third-party complaint alleges Wilbur-Ellis and Diversified provided written , guarantees to Blue Buffalo that the chicken and turkey meal that they were providing “excluded] ... feathers, heads, feet, and entrails,” except in unavoidable' trace amounts, but that they violated thes,e contracts many times over the course of several years and concealed such violations from Blue Buffalo [Dkt. 41-1 at 3]. Blue Buffalo alleges damages arising from paying for a superior product while receiving an inferior one. Blue Buffalo also alleges the conduct of Wilbur-Ellis and Diversified harmed Blue Buffalo’s - reputation and caused Blue Buffalo to incur significant attorney fees- and expenses in the litigation brought by Purina, as well as the consumer class. Finally, Blue Buffalo seeks indemnification and contribution, arguing Wilbur-Ellis and Diversified should be ordered to pay all (or their pro rata share of any) amounts Blue Buffalo must pay Purina or the consumer class in the Missouri lawsuits [Dkt,41-1 at 4].

Diversified filed a crossclaim against Wilbur-Ellis and a third-party claim against Custom Ag in both of the Missouri lawsuits [Dkt. 32-2; 32-3]. Diversified alleges it contracted with Wilbur-Ellis and Custom Ag to supply chicken meal, unadulterated with feathers or beaks, but that Wilbur-Ellis and Custom Ag supplied chicken by-product instead and without Diversified’s knowledge [Dkt. 32-2 at 4; 32-3 at 4]. Diversified alleges that from 2011 through mid-2014, Custom Ag and Wilbur-Ellis sold “Adulterated Meal” to Diversified [Dkts. 32-3 at 4; 34-4 at pg. 11]; that Wilbur-Ellis and Custom Ag labeled the product sold “as ‘chicken meal’ or ‘chicken meal blend,’ ” but that it actually “contained no ‘chicken meal’ at all. Instead, the goods were comprised entirely of by-product meal, feather meal, and other products” [Dkts, 32-2 at 5;’ 34 — 3 at pg.' 29]. Diversified specifically alleges:

Defendants sold to Diversified the Adulterated Meal as high-quality and single ingredient chicken meal or turkey meal for four years in knowing violation of agreed-upon product specifications and labeling laws. Defendants never disclosed to Diversified all the actual ingredients in the goods Diversified purchased from Defendants until May 2014.

[Dkt. 32-2 at 13]. Diversified seeks contribution from Custom Ag for all or a proportional part of any damages owed to Blue Buffalo that were caused by Custom Ag’s alleged wrongful conduct [Dkts. 32-2 at 14; 32-3 at 5; 34-3 at pg, 57-58; 34-4 at pg. 14-15].

As to the claims alleged in the Missouri lawsuits, Custom Ag has demanded representation and coverage from Colony, its commercial liability insurer. Colony issued a Commercial General Liability policy to Custom Ag beginning on April 20, 2012, with the policy renewed annually each of the next three years.

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Bluebook (online)
272 F. Supp. 3d 948, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/colony-insurance-co-v-custom-ag-commodities-llc-txed-2017.