UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
v.
DAIRY FARMERS OF AMERICA,
et al.,
Defendants.
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Civil Action No. 00-1663
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FINAL JUDGMENT
WHEREAS Plaintiff, the United States of America (hereinafter "United States"),
having filed its Complaint on March 31, 2000, this Court having issued a temporary restraining
order on the same date, and Plaintiff and Defendants, by their respective attorneys, having
consented to the entry of this Final Judgment without trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or
law, and without this Final Judgment constituting any evidence against or admission by any
party
regarding any issue of fact or law;
AND WHEREAS, Defendant Societe de Diffusion Internationale
Agro-Alimentaire,
while not agreeing that it does business in the United States generally, has agreed to be bound by
the provisions of this Final Judgment;
AND WHEREAS, Defendants SODIAAL North America Corporation and Dairy
Farmers of America, Inc. have agreed to be bound by the provisions of this Final Judgment;
NOW, THEREFORE, before the taking of any testimony, and without
trial or final
adjudication of any issue of fact or law herein, and upon consent of the parties hereto, it is
hereby
ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED:
I. JURISDICTION
This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action and over each of the
parties
hereto. The Complaint states a claim upon which relief may be granted against the Defendants
under Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. § 18).
II. DEFINITIONS
As used in this Final Judgment:
- "Butter LLC" means the limited liability company formed pursuant to Section IV of
this Final Judgment and includes each of its successors, divisions, subsidiaries, and
affiliates, each other person directly or indirectly, wholly or in part, owned or
controlled by it, and each partnership or joint venture to which any of them is a
party, and all of their directors, officers, and employees, and each and any successor
to its interest in the Keller's, Hotel Bar, or Breakstone's brands.
- "Dairy Farmers of America, Inc." or "DFA," means Defendant Dairy Farmers of
America, Inc., a Kansas corporation with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri,
and includes each of its successors, divisions, parents, subsidiaries, and majority-owned
affiliates, and each other person, directly or indirectly, majority-owned by it,
including, but not limited to, Mid-Am Capital LLC and Butter LLC, and each
majority-owned partnership or joint venture to which any of them is a party, and all
of their directors, officers, managers, agents and employees.
- "DFA butter assets" means (a) assets currently employed by DFA to produce and
process butter at DFA's Winnsboro, Texas facility and (b) DFA's interest in the
Breakstone's brand (the transfer of which is subject to the consent of Kraft Foods,
Inc.), which shall include, but not be limited to, all customer lists, inventory,
contracts, and promotional materials.
- "Federation" means:
- An agency in common, federation, pooling arrangement, merger or other
combination or collaboration, including, but not limited to, any agreement on
price or output, involving DFA's and/or Land O'Lakes' Branded Butter
operations; or
- An agreement, directly or indirectly, between DFA and Land O' Lakes with
regard to the price, quantity, sale or supply of cream, milk, or butter to
Butter LLC pursuant to which DFA, Land O'Lakes, or both would charge
Butter LLC more for cream, milk or butter than either one or both charge
other customers. However, nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit price
differentials that are reasonably based on differences in purchase volume,
freight or shipping costs, federal regulation or product quality.
- "Land O' Lakes" means Land O' Lakes, Inc., each of its successors, divisions,
parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates, each other person directly or indirectly, wholly or
in part, owned or controlled by it, and each partnership or joint venture to which any
of them is a party, and all of their directors, officers, managers, agents and
employees.
- "Societe de Diffusion Internationale Agro-Alimentaire" means Defendant Societe
de
Diffusion Internationale Agro-Alimentaire, each of its successors, divisions, parents,
subsidiaries, and affiliates, each other person directly or indirectly, wholly or in part,
owned or controlled by it, and each partnership or joint venture to which any of
them is a party, and all of their directors, officers, managers, agents, and employees.
- "SODIAAL North America Corporation" means Defendant SODIAAL North
America Corporation and includes each of its successors, divisions, parents,
subsidiaries, and affiliates, each other person directly or indirectly, wholly or in part,
owned or controlled by it, and each partnership or joint venture to which any of
them is a party, and all of their directors, officers, managers, agents and employees.
- "SODIAAL North America Corporation butter assets" means the real property,
equipment, vehicles, inventories, accounts receivables, information and records,
intellectual property, and other assets used to produce, process or market butter
including, but not limited to, the Keller's and Hotel Bar brands, and
which assets are
to be acquired by DFA pursuant to the Transaction, defined in Paragraph II.I.,
herein.
- "Transaction" means the proposed acquisition of certain assets of SODIAAL North
America Corporation by DFA, described in the December 15, 1999, letter agreement
between DFA and Societe De Diffusion Internationale Agro-Alimentaire, and
includes all related agreements among Defendants.
- "Agricultural Cooperative" means an entity eligible for classification as an
"agricultural cooperative" under the terms of the Capper-Volstead Act, 7 U.S.C. §
291, as "[p]ersons engaged in the production of agricultural products such as
farmers, planters, ranchmen, dairymen, nut or fruit growers," acting individually or
"together in associations, corporate or otherwise," as such terms are used in the
Capper-Volstead Act.
- "Branded Butter" means butter, as currently defined by the Food and Drug
Administration at 7 C.F.R. § 58.305(a), sold in a retail grocery channel under a
brand owned or licensed by the butter manufacturer.
- "Majority-owned" means either (a) holding more than 50 percent of the voting
interests in a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company, or (b) having the
right to designate more than 50 percent of the board of directors or similar body.
- "Competitively Sensitive Information" means information that is not public and
could be used by a competitor or supplier to make production, pricing, or marketing
decisions including, but not limited to, information relating to costs, capacity,
distribution, marketing, supply, market territories, customer relationships, the terms
of dealing with any particular customer (including the identity of individual
customers and the quantity sold to any particular customer), and current and future
prices, including discounts, slotting allowances, bids, or price lists. "Competitively
Sensitive Information" does not include information that must be disclosed to
implement a supply arrangement in the ordinary course of business.
III. APPLICABILITY
- The provisions of this Final Judgment apply to:
- Defendant Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., as defined above, so long as DFA
or Butter LLC (I) controls, (ii) receives royalty or other licensing payments
from, or (iii) has any right or obligation to direct the pricing, production,
sales, promotion, or marketing of Branded Butter sold under, the Keller's or
Hotel Bar brands;
- Defendants Societe de Diffusion Internationale Agro-Alimentaire and
SODIAAL North America Corporation, as defined above, so long as either
of them (I) controls, (ii) receives royalty or other licensing payments from, or
(iii) has any right or obligation to direct the pricing, production, sales,
promotion, or marketing of Branded Butter sold under, the Keller's or Hotel
Bar brands;
- Butter LLC, as defined above, so long as DFA or Butter LLC (I) controls,
(ii) receives royalty or other licensing payments from, or (iii) has any right or
obligation to direct the pricing, production, sales, promotion, or marketing of
Branded Butter sold under, the Keller's or Hotel Bar brands;
- Any person under Paragraph III.B. of this Final Judgment; and
- all other persons in active concert or participation with anyone named in
Paragraphs III.A.(1), III.A.(2), III.A.(3), or III.A.(4) above, who receive
actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise.
- DFA and/or Butter LLC shall require as a condition of the sale or other disposition
of either the Keller's or Hotel Bar brands (or both) to an Agricultural
Cooperative
or to an entity in which DFA has a non-majority ownership interest that such person
or persons agree to be bound by the provisions of this Final Judgment. However,
except as provided in Paragraph III.A.(2) or III.A.(5) above, this Final Judgment
shall not apply to transferees of either the Keller's or Hotel Bar brands
(or both)
who are neither an Agricultural Cooperative nor an entity in which DFA has an
ownership interest.
IV. FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY
COMPANY AND CONTRIBUTION OF
ASSETS
- Within 30 days after the consummation of the Transaction, DFA shall cause to be
formed "Butter LLC," a limited liability company to be partially owned by persons
other than DFA which will cause Butter LLC to be ineligible for classification as an
Agricultural Cooperative. Butter LLC shall, within 15 days of its formation,
stipulate in writing to be bound by this Final Judgment and subject to the jurisdiction
of this Court and shall serve a copy of its stipulation on Plaintiff and file that
stipulation with the Court within those 15 days.
- Within 30 days after the consummation of the Transaction, DFA and/or Societe
de
Diffusion Internationale Agro-Alimentaire shall contribute to Butter LLC (a) the
DFA butter assets including, subject to the consent of Kraft Foods, Inc., DFA's
interest in the Breakstone's brand; and (b) the SODIAAL North America
Corporation butter assets. Prior to that contribution, DFA shall take no steps to
reduce, eliminate, or otherwise divest those assets.
- Without prior written approval of Plaintiff, Butter LLC shall not sell, transfer, divest,
license, or in any way grant, direct or indirect, control over the pricing, production,
sales, promotion, or marketing of any or all of Keller's, Hotel Bar, or
Breakstone's
brands to Land O'Lakes.
- Without prior written approval of Plaintiff, Butter LLC shall not obtain, receive, or
in any way acquire, direct or indirect, control over the pricing, production, sales,
promotion, or marketing of any or all Branded Butter from Land O' Lakes.
- Without 30 days prior notice to Plaintiff, Butter LLC shall not sell, transfer, or
divest
either the Keller's or Hotel Bar brands, or both, to any entity in which
DFA has an
ownership interest. This Final Judgment shall apply to any such entity pursuant to
Paragraph III.B.
- Without 30 days prior notice to Plaintiff, Butter LLC shall not sell, transfer, or
divest
either the Keller's or Hotel Bar brands, or both, to any entity in which
neither DFA
nor Land O' Lakes has an ownership interest. Notice provided under this Paragraph
shall include the production to the Plaintiff of copies of any and all supply contracts
then existing or contemplated between Butter LLC and the transferee.
V. INJUNCTIVE PROVISIONS
- DFA and Butter LLC are hereby enjoined, individually and/or collectively, from
entering into a Federation with Land O'Lakes, provided, however that, except as set
forth in Paragraphs IV.C. and IV.D., nothing contained herein shall prohibit either
DFA or Butter LLC from entering into a supply arrangement with Land O' Lakes
whereby one party processes and packages (but does not market, promote, sell, or
distribute) Branded Butter on the other's behalf.
- DFA and Butter LLC are further enjoined, individually and/or collectively, from
disclosing to Land O'Lakes, directly or indirectly, any Competitively Sensitive
Information regarding Branded Butter.
VI. COMPLIANCE PROGRAM
DFA and Butter LLC shall maintain a judgment compliance program that shall include:
- Distributing, within 60 days from the entry of this Final Judgment, a copy of the
Final Judgment and Competitive Impact Statement to all directors, officers and
Branded Butter sales and marketing personnel;
- Distributing, in a timely manner, a copy of this Final Judgment and Competitive
Impact Statement to any person who succeeds to a position described in Paragraph
VI.A;
- Distributing, within 60 days from the entry of this Final Judgment, a copy of this
Final Judgment and Competitive Impact Statement to Land O' Lakes;
- Briefing, annually, in writing or orally, those persons designated in Paragraphs VI.A.
and VI.B. on the meaning and requirements of this Final Judgment and the antitrust
laws, including penalties for violation thereof;
- Obtaining from those persons designated in Paragraphs VI.A. and VI.B. annual
written certifications that they (1) have read, understand, and agree to abide by this
Final Judgment, (2) understand that their noncompliance with this Final Judgment
may result in conviction for criminal contempt of court and imprisonment and/or
fine, and (3) have reported violations, if any, of this Final Judgment of which they
are aware to counsel for the respective Defendant; and
- Designating a specific individual for each company who shall be responsible for
maintaining for inspection by Plaintiff a record of recipients to whom this Final
Judgment and Competitive Impact Statement have been distributed and from whom
annual written certifications regarding this Final Judgment have been received.
VII. CERTIFICATION AND NOTIFICATION
- Within 75 days after entry of this Final Judgment, DFA and Butter LLC each shall
certify to Plaintiff that it has made the distribution of the Final Judgment and
Competitive Impact Statement as required by Paragraph VI.A.
- For each year after the entry of this Final Judgment, on or before its anniversary
date, DFA and Butter LLC each shall certify to Plaintiff its compliance with any
provisions of Sections IV, V, and VI then applicable to it; and
- Butter LLC shall notify the Plaintiff at least 30 days prior to, as applicable, any
proposed (1) dissolution, (2) sale or assignment of claims or assets resulting in a
successor person, or (3) change in company structure that may affect compliance
with this Final Judgment.
- All certifications, notices and communications required to be made to Plaintiff
pursuant to this Final Judgment shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be
delivered when (1) hand delivered, or (2) when deposited in the United States mail,
postage prepaid, registered or certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested, and
addressed, in each such case, to the address set forth in this Paragraph, or the
address as changed pursuant to the requirements of this Paragraph.
United States Department of Justice - Antitrust Division
Director of Operations and Merger Enforcement
601 D Street, N.W.
Room 10103
Washington, D.C. 20530
With a copy to:
United States Department of Justice - Antitrust
Division
Chief, Litigation II Section
1401 H Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
Plaintiff may change the address for notices to be sent to it by written notice
delivered to the Defendants by one of the methods described above in this
Paragraph.
VIII. COMPLIANCE INSPECTION
- For the purposes of determining or securing compliance with this Final Judgment, or
determining whether the Final Judgment should be modified or vacated, and subject
to any legally recognized privilege, from time to time duly authorized representatives
of the United States Department of Justice, including consultants and other persons
retained by the United States, shall, upon the written request of a duly authorized
representative of the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division,
and on reasonable notice to any Defendant or Butter LLC, be permitted:
- access during office hours to inspect and copy, or at Plaintiff's option,
demand Defendants or Butter LLC to provide copies of, all books, ledgers,
accounts, correspondence, memoranda, and other records and documents in
the possession or under the control of Defendants or Butter LLC, who may
have counsel present, relating to any matters contained in this Final
Judgment; and
- subject to the reasonable convenience of Defendants or Butter LLC and
without restraint or interference from them to interview, either informally or
on the record, directors, officers, employees, and agents of Defendants or
Butter LLC, who may have their individual counsel present, regarding any
such matters.
- Upon the written request of the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust
Division, Defendants and Butter LLC shall submit such written reports, under oath if
requested, relating to any of the matters contained in this Final Judgment as may be
requested.
- No information or documents obtained by the means provided in this section shall
be
divulged by the United States to any person other than an authorized representative
of the executive branch of the United States, except in the course of legal
proceedings to which the United States is a party (including grand jury proceedings),
or for the purpose of securing compliance with this Final Judgment, or as otherwise
required by law.
- If at the time information or documents are furnished by Defendants or Butter
LLC
to the United States, Defendants or Butter LLC represent and identify in writing the
material in any such information or documents to which a claim of protection may be
asserted under Rule 26(c)(7) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and
Defendants or Butter LLC mark each pertinent page of such material, "Subject to
claim of protection under Rule 26 (c)(7) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,"
then the United States shall give Defendants or Butter LLC ten (10) calendar days
notice prior to divulging such material in any legal proceeding (other than a grand
jury proceeding).
IX. RETENTION OF JURISDICTION
This Court retains jurisdiction for the purpose of enabling any party to this Final
Judgment
to apply to this Court at any time for such further orders and directions as may be necessary
or appropriate for the construction, implementation, or modification of any of the provisions
of this Final Judgment, for the enforcement of compliance herewith, and for the punishment
of any violations hereof.
X. TERMINATION OF FINAL
JUDGMENT
This Final Judgment will continue in force until terminated pursuant to an order of this
Court.
XI. PUBLIC INTEREST
DETERMINATION
Entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest.
Dated:_______________________
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Court approval subject to procedures of
Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, 15
U.S.C. § 16.
_______________________________ United States District Judge
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