Carriers and shippers are increasingly brought together for business purposes by independent sales agents. Because successful agents can dramatically impact the revenue of carriers, carriers compete with each other to recruit and solicit agents to enter into exclusive agency contracts. It is often a fine line which separates recruitment practices which comply with the rules of the game, and interference with contractual relations. When these issues heighten to the point of litigation, our experience with the industry and agency related issues provides our client with a key competitive advantage going into court.
REPRESENTATIVE CASE:
ATF Trucking, L.L.C. v. Quick Freight, Inc., et al., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57354, No. 06-4627 (E.D. Pa., December 23, 2008). After a lengthy and contentious trial, the U.S. District Court ruled that our client complied with the “rules of the game” as they apply to the freight carrier business, and did not interfere with any agency contract in recruiting and hiring a successful agent away from a competing carrier.