United States Third Circuit

In a suit for unlawful price discrimination under the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) against a food manufacturer and a food service management company, judgment in favor of plaintiff-food distributor is vacated with instruction for the district court to enter judgment as a matter of law for defendants as plaintiff cannot satisfy the competitive injury requirement of a prima facie case of price discrimination under section 2(a) of the RPA because the plaintiff and defendant were not competitors, and therefore, plaintiff cannot show it suffered competitive injury under RPA.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/29/2009
• Decided 01/07/2010
• Published 01/07/2010

Judges

• Before SMITH, FISHER, and NYGAARD, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Third Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Lisa M. Card, Esq., John F. Collins, Esq., Jeffrey L. Kessler, Esq. (Argued), George E. Mastoris, Esq., Eamon O'Kelly, Esq., Susannah P. Torpey, Esq., Dewey & Leboeuf, New York, NY, Steven M. Williams, Esq., Cohen, Seglias, Pallas, Greenhall & Furman, Harrisburg, PA, for Feesers, Inc., James S. Ballenger, Esq., Jennifer L. Giordano, Esq., Maureen E. Mahoney, Esq., Eric J. McCarthy, Esq., Margaret M. Zwisler, Esq., Latham & Watkins, Roy T. Englert, Jr., Esq. (Argued), Robbins, Russell, Englert, Orseck & Untereiner, Washington, DC, David A. Applebaum, Esq., Robert L. DeMay, Esq., David G. Parry, Esq., Leonard, Street & Deinard, Minneapolis, MN, Bridget E. Montgomery, Esq., Eckert, Seamans, Cherin & Mellott, Harrisburg, PA, Alfred C. Pfeiffer, Esq., Latham & Watkins, San Francisco, CA, for Michael Foods, Inc., Scott P. Fink, Esq., Jennifer B. Furey, Esq., Martin F. Gaynor, III, Esq., Cooley, Manion & Jones, Boston, MA, Thomas Demitrack, Esq ., Jones Day, Cleveland, OH, Hashim M. Mooppan, Esq., Glen D. Nager, Esq. (Argued), Jones Day, Washington, DC, Matthew M. Haar, Esq., Saul Ewing, Harrisburg, PA, for Sodexho, Inc.