California Berry Cultivars (CBC) LLC has announced that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California has granted its motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit filed by Driscoll’s Incorporated resolving all of Driscoll’s claims against CBC in CBC’s favor.
The press release reports that Driscoll initiated the litigation in 2019 alleging that CBC infringed on Driscoll’s patents of four of its strawberry varieties and allegedly interfered with Driscoll’s contracts with nurseries and breeders in connection with CBC’s breeding program. The district court has granted CBC’s motion for summary judgment eliminating all of Driscoll’s claims against CBC.
In addition, CBC says that Driscoll’s brought this action to stifle competition by bearing CBC in litigation. The company says they will continue to offer what they call high-performing, flavorful strawberry varieties to growers and consumers alike.
I’m Lori Boyer reporting for AgNet West.