Early win for Pacific Seafood in key antitrust case


Pacific Seafood won a critical preliminary ruling in their anti-trust case.

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Federal Judge Owen Panner sided with Pacific Seafood in a key critical preliminary ruling in the anti-trust case against the Clackamas-based fish giant.

Pacific Seafood dominates fish-buying on the Oregon Coast, and fishermen and competitors have long complained about the company’s tactics. But those complaints are not gaining traction in court, despite the efforts of plaintiff attorney Mike Haglund.

Panner rejected a request from the plaintiffs — Southern Oregon commercial fishermen Lloyd and Todd Whaley — for a preliminary injunction prohibiting Pacific Seafood from communicating with Ocean Gold, an allied processor in Westport, Wash., about how much to pay for whiting and which boats to buy from.

“I take this as a signal that he’s not really fond of the case against Ocean Gold,” [Chris Kayser, a Portland attorney representing Ocean Gold] said. “Obviously, the opinion he’s written is a very good sign for us. Certainly, Haglund loses a lot of momentum. He’s really struggled to get much interest from fishermen.”

Read more at OregonLive.com.

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