Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-00649/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-00649-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 891
Nature of Suit: Agricultural Acts
Cause of Action: 07:499 Agricultural Commodities Act

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[Proposed] Preliminary Injunction Order Page 1 of 4

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Lawrence H. Meuers, Esq. (SBN 197663) 

MEUERS LAW FIRM, P.L. 

5395 Park Central Court 

Naples, FL 34109 

Telephone: (239)513-9191 

Facsimile: (239)513-9677 

lmeuers@meuerslawfirm.com 

Attorneys for Plaintiff 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

INN FOODS, INC., 

 Plaintiff, 

 vs. 

TURNER MEAD, LLC, and PAUL 

STEVEN MEAD, III, 

 Defendants. 

Case No.: 3:07-cv-649 

[PROPOSED] PRELIMINARY 

INJUNCTION ORDER 

Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction under the Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure 65(a), came before this Court on Friday, March 16, 2007 at 9:00 a.m., after 

proper notice was issued. Katy Koestner Esquivel, counsel for the Plaintiff appeared 

telephonically. Defendants failed to appear, despite having been properly served with 

notice of this hearing. 

On or about January 31, 2007, Plaintiff commenced the above entitled action 

against Defendants Turner Mead, LLC (“Turner Mead”), and Paul Steven Mead, III 

(collectively referred to as the “Defendants”), seeking to enforce payment from the 

statutory trust imposed by the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, 1930, as 

amended, 7 U.S.C. §499e(c)(2) (“PACA”). As part of its action, the Plaintiff sought 

injunctive relief against the Defendants to enjoin and restrain them from violating the 

provisions of PACA and from dissipating assets subject to the PACA Trust. 

On or about February 9, 2007, on behalf of Plaintiff, the undersigned United 

Case 3:07-cv-00649-SI Document 21 Filed 03/19/2007 Page 1 of 4
 Case 3:07-cv-00649-SI Document 23 Filed 03/20/07 Page 1 of 4
[Proposed] Preliminary Injunction Order Page 2 of 4

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States District Court Judge issued an Order to Show Cause for Temporary Restraining 

Order enjoining Defendant Turner Mead, its agents, officers, subsidiaries, assigns, and 

banking institutions from alienating, dissipating, paying, or assigning any PACA trust 

assets, without agreement of the parties or until further order of this Court, or until 

said Defendant pays Plaintiff the sum of $68,103.49 by cashiers’ check or certified 

check. 

This Court scheduled a hearing for entry of a Preliminary Injunction for Friday, 

February 23, 2007. Due to Plaintiff’s inability to effectuate service, on February 24, 

2007, this Court entered an Order extending the Temporary Restraining Order and 

continuing the hearing on Plaintiff’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction to March 2, 

2007. [Docket No. 13]. Neither Defendant appeared at the March 2, 2007 hearing. 

Plaintiff’s counsel was unable to confirm whether the Defendants had been served 

with notice of that hearing. This Court entered a second Order extending the 

Temporary Restraining Order, and scheduling a continued hearing on Plaintiff’s 

Motion for a Preliminary Injunction for Friday, March 16, 2007. [Docket No. 16]. Later 

that day, the Plaintiff filed proof that the Defendants were personally served on March 

1, 2007 with the Temporary Restraining Order and notice of the March 2 hearing on 

Plaintiff’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction. [Docket Nos. 17 and 19]. Plaintiff also 

filed proof that efforts to serve the Defendants with this Court’s March 2 Order had 

been unsuccessful. [Docket No. 20]. Plaintiff’s counsel further represented that she has 

not been contacted by Defendants. 

Based upon Plaintiff's pleadings, the testimony and Declarations, and the 

supporting documents, the Court finds that Defendant Turner Mead purchased 

$68,103.49 in perishable agricultural commodities in interstate commerce from 

Plaintiff, that Plaintiff provided Defendant Turner Mead proper notice of intent to 

preserve trust benefits and that Defendant Turner Mead failed to pay Plaintiff for the 

perishable agricultural commodities in violation of PACA, 7 U.S.C. §499e(c). 

The Court further finds that Defendants have in fact dissipated the PACA trust 

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 Case 3:07-cv-00649-SI Document 23 Filed 03/20/07 Page 2 of 4
[Proposed] Preliminary Injunction Order Page 3 of 4

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by failing to maintain sufficient “freely available” assets to satisfy Plaintiff's PACA 

trust claims. 

Plaintiff has established that there is sufficient evidence of dissipation of assets 

subject to the PACA trust to warrant the relief granted in this order and the Court 

concludes that a Preliminary Injunction should be issued. 

Based on the foregoing, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

1. Turner Mead and its agents, officers, subsidiaries, assigns, financial and 

banking institutions, and all persons in active concert or participation with them or 

who receive actual notice of this Order are enjoined and restrained from dissipating, 

paying, transferring, assigning or selling any and all assets covered by or subject to the 

trust provisions of the PACA without agreement of the parties or until further order of 

this Court. Under §499e(c)(2) of PACA, the assets subject to this order include all of 

the assets of Defendant Turner Mead, including but not limited to, any and all bank 

accounts at any and all financial institutions, unless the Defendants can prove to this 

Court that a particular asset is not derived from perishable agricultural commodities, 

inventories of food or other products derived from perishable agricultural 

commodities or receivables or proceeds from the sale of such commodities or products. 

2. Plaintiff shall not be required to give security in view of the fact that 

Defendant Turner Mead now holds $68,103.49 of PACA trust assets that belong to 

Plaintiff and that this Order merely requires said Defendant to obey the requirements 

of PACA. 

3. Within 48 hours of the entry of this Order, Defendant Turner Mead shall 

assign all of its accounts receivable to Plaintiff and deposit and/or deliver complete 

accounts, records and information of all of its accounts receivable to Plaintiff's counsel 

subject to those accounts receivable being collected by Plaintiff's counsel. 

4. Defendant Turner Mead shall endorse any checks made, endorsed or 

paid to it which are trust assets and which are in its possession or obtainable by it at 

the time of the entry of this Order, or which it obtains or which become obtainable by it 

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[Proposed] Preliminary Injunction Order Page 4 of 4

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after entry of this Order, and deliver them, within 48 hours of receipt, to Plaintiff's 

counsel to be held in trust pending further determination by this Court as to the 

distribution of those funds. 

5. Defendants Turner Mead and Paul Steven Mead, III shall use their best 

efforts to cooperate with Plaintiff in any action which Plaintiff or their counsel may be 

required to take in collecting the accounts receivable or other trust assets, including 

any action at law or equity. 

6. Immediately after the entry of this Order, Paul Steven Mead, III shall 

grant Plaintiff and its counsel, agents or employees, full, complete and continuing 

access to all of the books and records of Defendant Turner Mead, which shall include 

but not be limited to tax returns, accounts, invoices, ledgers, computer runs, bank 

statements and canceled checks relating to Turner Mead for the purpose of verifying 

the accounting as ordered by this Court. 

7. This Order shall be binding upon Defendant Turner Mead, and its 

officers (including Paul Steven Mead, III), agents, servants, employees, banking and 

financial institutions, attorneys and/or all other persons acting in concert or 

participating with it who receive actual notice of this Order. 

8. This Order shall continue in full force and effect, except upon further 

Order of this Court. 

9. This Court shall retain jurisdiction of this action to ensure complete 

compliance with the terms of this Order. 

DONE AND ORDERED in Chambers at San Francisco, California this 

_________ day of March, 2007. 

 

Susan Illston 

United States District Court Judge 

 

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