CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Business Wire) — Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. today announced that it secured a sweeping jury verdict in a lawsuit against Del Monte Foods Company and Del Monte Corporation (‘Del Monte Foods’) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
After a two-week trial, on April 6, 2012, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in Fresh Del Monte’s favor, finding that Fresh Del Monte has the exclusive right under the parties’ licensing agreement to use the Del Monte® trademark on certain refrigerated preserved fruit products. Additionally, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in Fresh Del Monte’s favor on five out of the six Lanham Act false advertising claims, finding that Del Monte Foods’ sale and marketing of refrigerated preserved fruit products misled consumers into believing the products were fresh fruit, and that Del Monte Foods willfully violated the Lanham Act. The jury awarded separate damages to Fresh Del Monte totaling $13.15 million for both claims, including the profits Del Monte Foods obtained from its false advertising.
About Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, as well as a leading producer and distributor of prepared food in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the countries formerly part of the Soviet Union. Fresh Del Monte markets its products worldwide under the Del Monte® brand, a symbol of product innovation, quality, freshness and reliability for more than 100 years.