Gary Boland v. Farmers Cooperative Association of Keota, Iowa




Case Name:	Gary Boland v. Farmers Cooperative Association of Keota, Iowa
Case Number:	LACV023763
Date of Trial:	05/15/2017	Venue:	Iowa County

Casetype/Claims:

Judge:

Plaintiff's Counsel:	Jessica Lea Hlubek	Defendant's Counsel:	Diane M. Reinsch Joshau J. McIntyre

Verdict:	Plaintiff's verdict: $1,395,767 for losses.

Demand Before Trial:
Offer Before Trial:

Statement of Case: Count I: Mr. Boland makes a claim against the Coop for breach of contract. Boland alleges that in 2007, the Coop (Jeff Sprouse and Duane Sprouse) offered him the right of first refusal to purchase his pro rata portion of the Coop’s Skyline shares at such time in the future when the Coop decided to sell, in exchange for Boland’s promise to leave his stable pig source and get involved with the Skyline Project (ie purchase Skyline pigs and help the Coop run its feeding group) and to purchase all premix and soybean meal exclusively from the Coop. Boland sued the Coop for breaching the oral contract after the Coop sold the shares in 2011 without providing Boland with the right of first refusal and then refusing to honor the oral contract. Boland seeks to recover the lost profits and lost equity from not being able to purchase of his pro rata portion (14,400) of the Skyline shares, lost profits from not finishing pigs in 2014 and losses from forced liquidation. The Coop denies that it had any oral contract with Mr. Boland. Count II: Mr. Boland makes a claim against the Coop for intentional interference with his packer contract. Boland alleges that the only reason he signed a packer contract with Big Stone in May 2011 (the “Big Stone Contract”) was because he relied on the Coop’s 2007 promise that he would have the right of first refusal and on additional representations and assurances made by the Coop in 2011 that they would continue to provide him with a stable pig source. Boland sued the Coop for intentional interference after the Coop sold the shares to Skyline in 2011 and eliminated his stable pig source. Boland seeks to recover the damages he sustained as a result of the Coop’s interference, which includes the increased burden and expense of fulfilling the Big Stone Contract, the losses from causing Boland not to perform the Big Stone Contract in 2014, and losses from forced liquidation. Boland also seeks to recover punitive damages as a result of the Coop’s willful and wanton disregard for the rights of another.

Injuries alleged:

Official Jury Verdict Form:


Documents of interest: (when available)

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