Obtained Full Dismissal for Graco in Antitrust Litigation

Insulate SB, Inc. v. Advanced Finishing Products & Equipment, et al., 13-cv-02664 (D. Minn.)

Robins Kaplan represented Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota Inc. in the defense of an antitrust class action lawsuit in which Graco was alleged to have violated federal and state antitrust laws by purchasing certain rivals, and then allegedly orchestrating various conspiracies with its distributors of fast-set spray foam equipment. Plaintiff’s lawsuit followed a voluntary consent decree between Graco and the FTC relating to the acquisitions and certain of its business practices in the alleged fast-set spray foam equipment market. After successfully moving to transfer the case from Pennsylvania to Minnesota federal court, the firm obtained a complete dismissal, with prejudice, of the claims brought against its client. In 2015, the Firm persuaded the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm the dismissal in its entirety, and defeated a petition for rehearing en banc.