Nbo Industries Treadway Companies, Inc. v. Brunswick Corporation, in Nos. 74-2127, 75-1152 Appeal of Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., in No. 74-2128

523 F.2d 262
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedAugust 29, 1975
Docket74-2127, 74-2128 and 75-1152
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 523 F.2d 262 (Nbo Industries Treadway Companies, Inc. v. Brunswick Corporation, in Nos. 74-2127, 75-1152 Appeal of Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., in No. 74-2128) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nbo Industries Treadway Companies, Inc. v. Brunswick Corporation, in Nos. 74-2127, 75-1152 Appeal of Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., in No. 74-2128, 523 F.2d 262 (3d Cir. 1975).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

GIBBONS, Circuit Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

We have before us appeals and cross-appeals from a final judgment entered in a private antitrust case. The following determinations in the district court are being challenged: (1) the finding of a violation of § 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18; (2) the correctness of the trial judge’s calculation of attorney fees and costs; and (3) the propriety of the trial judge’s entry of a divestiture order in a private antitrust case. 1

The complaint in this complicated litigation was filed on June 14, 1966 by Treadway Companies, Inc. (then known as National Bowl-O-Mat Corp.) and ten wholly-owned subsidiaries 2 through which it operated bowling centers throughout the United States. The plaintiffs charged Brunswick Corporation (Brunswick), a manufacturer and distributor of bowling equipment, with: (1) entering into resale price mainte *265 nance contracts in violation of § 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1 (First Claim); (2) monopolizing and attempting to monopolize the business of operating bowling centers in various markets in which Treadway operated competing centers, thus violating § 2 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 2 (Second Claim); and (3) acquiring and operating bowling centers in the Poughkeepsie, New York, Pueblo, Colorado, and Paramus, New Jersey market areas which had the effect of substantially lessening competition or tending to create a monopoly in violation of § 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18 (Third Claim). During a pre-trial conference held on March 6, 1973, the Sherman Act § 1 claim was abandoned. The § 2 Sherman Act claim and the § 7 Clayton Act claim went to trial. The jury returned a verdict in Brunswick’s favor on the Sherman Act claim. No appeal has been taken from this determination. However, the jury found in favor of three of the plaintiffs — Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., Holiday Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., and Bowl-O-Mat Para-mus Operations — on the § 7 Clayton Act claim. Damages were awarded in the following amounts:

(1) Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., Pueblo, Colorado $ 964,830
(2) Holiday Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., Poughkeepsie, New York $ 298,800
(3) Bowl-O-Mat Paramus Operations, Paramus, New Jersey $1,094,400

Pursuant to § 4 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 15, the district court trebled each of these awards, and on May 31, 1973 entered judgment on the damage claims for $7,074,090. As a result of Brunswick’s post-trial motions, which were in all other respects denied, the district court granted a new trial as to Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., unless Pueblo consented to a remittitur of $499,050. Treadway Cos., Inc. v. Brunswick Corp., 364 F.Supp. 316, 326 (D.N.J.1973) (deeision on post-trial motions). Pueblo did consent, and on October 5, 1973 an order was entered reducing Pueblo’s treble damage recovery to $2,395,440. Thus the total damage award was $6,575,040. The district court also considered plaintiffs’ application for an award of costs and attorney fees. On April 2, 1974 judgment was entered in the district court awarding $428,468 as attorney fees, and $18,509.32 as costs. On September 24, 1974, after the appeals both by plaintiffs and Brunswick from this award were dismissed by this court, 3 the district court entered an order pursuant to Rule 54(b), Fed.R.Civ.P. directing the following: (1) that the May 31, 1973 judgment, and the October 5, 1973 and April 2, 1974 orders, be entered as final; (2) that the entries be made nunc pro tunc as of their original dates for the purpose of fixing the time from which interest at the legal rate would accrue; (3) that the entries be made as of September 24, 1974 for the purpose of taking any appeals. The district court retained jurisdiction over the claim for equitable relief pursuant to § 16 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 26.

Brunswick appeals from the damage award of $6,575,040; from the award of attorney fees and costs; and from the district court’s decision awarding interest from the time of the original judgment and order rather than from the time of the Rule 54(b) certification. Brunswick does not dispute the amount of the award of attorney fees and costs assuming the jury verdict is allowed to stand. It contends, howev.er, that if the verdict is set aside the award of fees and costs must also be set aside. Treadway appeals from the calculation of the fee award contending that it was too low.

On November 15, 1974, the district court filed an opinion, 4 and on January 9, 1975 entered a final judgment, pursuant to § 16 of the Clayton Act, enjoining Brunswick from acquiring any existing bowling centers in the Pueblo, Para- *266 mus and Poughkeepsie/Wappingers Falls areas and ordering divestiture of centers previously acquired in those areas. Brunswick filed an appeal from this judgment. On February 14, 1975 this court entered an order directing that Brunswick’s appeal from the injunction and divestiture judgment (No. 75-1152) be consolidated with Brunswick’s other appeal (No. 74^-2127) and with plaintiffs’ cross-appeal (No. 74-2128).

Brunswick’s contentions, listed below in the order in which they shall be considered, present these questions:

(A) With respect to the jury verdict:
(1) Does the record establish a prima facie violation of § 7 of the Clayton Act by Brunswick?
(2) Are treble damages pursuant to § 4 of the Clayton Act recoverable by litigants in the plaintiffs’ positions solely for a violation of § 7 of the Clayton Act?
(3) Did the court properly instruct the jury as to the elements of a Clayton Act § 7 case?
(4) Was the jury properly instructed on § 4 damages?
(B) With respect to the injunction and divestiture order:
(1) Was there evidence in the record sufficient to support the court’s finding of a Clayton Act § 7 violation?
(2) Does § 16 of the Clayton Act authorize the entry of a divestiture order, at the insistence of a private litigant, to redress a violation of Clayton Act § 7?

Plaintiffs’ main contention on their cross-appeal is that the criteria for fee awards laid down in Lindy Brothers Builders, Inc. v. American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corp., 487 F.2d 161 (3d Cir. 1973) and reiterated in Merola v.

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Bluebook (online)
523 F.2d 262, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nbo-industries-treadway-companies-inc-v-brunswick-corporation-in-nos-ca3-1975.