Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. v. Lauer Ltd.
| Decision Date | 16 January 2013 |
| Docket Number | No. 11–CV–4040–DEO.,11–CV–4040–DEO. |
| Citation | 918 F.Supp.2d 835 |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Northern District of Iowa |
| Parties | TYSON FRESH MEATS, INC., Plaintiff, v. LAUER LIMITED, L.L.C.; L & L Pork, Inc.; Lauer Finishing, L.L.C.; Coleridge Grain & Feed, L.L.C.; Robert Lauer, David Hansen, Dale Hansen, Roy D. Miller, and James Kuchta, Defendants. |
OPINION TEXT STARTS HERE
Brian C. Buescher, Kutak Rock, LLP, Omaha, NE, for Plaintiff.
Jonathan J. Blum, Daniel L. Hartnett, Crary Huff Inkster Sheehan Riggenberger Harnett & Storm PC, Sioux City, IA, for Defendants.
On May 2, 2011, Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc.(hereinafter “Plaintiff”), filed a Complaint against the original Defendants: Lauer Limited, L.L.C.(hereinafter “Lauer Limited”); L & L Pork, Inc.(hereinafter “L & L Pork”);Robert Lauer, and David Hansen. DocketNo. 2.On February 13, 2012, Plaintiff filed their First Amended Complaint, again naming the original Defendants and the following newly added Defendants: Coleridge Grain & Feed, L.L.C.; Lauer Finishing, L.L.C.(Lauer Finishing);Dale Hansen, Roy Miller, and James Kuchta. DocketNo. 26.
Plaintiff alleges the following causes of action: (1) breach of contract against all Defendants; (2) unjust enrichment against all Defendants; and (3) intentional interference with contract against L & L Pork, Inc.; Coleridge Grain, L.L.C.; and David Hansen and Robert Lauer.
Currently before this Court, is: (1) newly added Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Due to Lack of Personal Jurisdiction and Improper Venue, or in the Alternative, Motion for Change of Venue; and (2) original Defendants' Joinder in Motion to Dismiss Due to Improper Venue or, in the Alternative, Motion for Change of Venue, which fully adopts the arguments set forth in their Co-defendants' brief.DocketNo. 30.
Plaintiff is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware with a packing facility located near Storm Lake, Iowa.DocketNo. 26, 2.Plaintiff's headquarters are in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota.Id.
The United States' hog industry can be broken into four types of operations: (1) sow/farrowing or birthing operations, (2) nursery operations, (3) finishing operations, and (4) packer/ processing operations.See Tyson Foods, Inc., Fiscal 2010 Fact Book, available from Tyson Foods, Inc.Plaintiff, as well as acting as a food distributor, maintains pork packing/processing plants, including one in Storm Lake, Iowa.Id.A farrowing or birthing operation consists of the care of a sow herd during gestation, farrowing, and lactation.See Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Ag Decision Maker, Returns from Farrowing and Finishing Hogs, available at http:// www. extension. iastate. edu/ agdm/ livestock/ html/ b 1– 30. html, last visited January 15, 2013.Baby hogs are typically weaned from their mothers at between 19 to 21 days of age.Id.After being weaned, hogs are generally sold to a nursery where they are housed for approximately “6 weeks before being sold” to a finishing operation as 50 pound feeder pigs.Id.Finishing operations then house and feed the hogs until they reach approximately 270 pounds, at which point they are sold to processing plants such as Plaintiff.Id.From birth to finished pig takes approximately 184 days.Id.
This Court includes this basic information related to the structure of the hog industry to aid in understanding the relationship of the Defendants, which, as will become apparent throughout this Memorandum and Opinion Order, is essential to determining whether this Court can exercise personal jurisdiction over them.The remainder of this Section will consider the nature of each Defendant individually, the relationship between each Defendant, and the actions of each Defendant relevant to Plaintiff's causes of action.
DefendantLauer Limited was a Nebraska Limited Liability Corporation that acted as a hog finishing operation with its principal place of business in Lyons, Nebraska.DocketNo. 26, 2.During the relevant time period, the members of Lauer Limited were David Hansen, Dale Hansen, Roy Miller, Robert Lauer, and James Kuchta.DocketNo. 26, 3.In July and again...
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