Title: In Re: Minnesota Vitamin Antitrust Litigation.
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: C6-99-1909
State: Minnesota
Issuer: Minnesota Supreme Court
Date: February 24, 2000

STATE OF MINNESOTA IN SUPREME COURT C6-99-1909 In Re: Minnesota Vitamin Antitrust Litigation. O R D E R This litigation currently consists of five actions, identified on the attached addendum, filed in five different district courts. The complaints claim damages on behalf of classes of plaintiffs based on alleged violation of the state antitrust laws in the sale and distribution of vitamins and vitamin products. The court is informed that additional similar actions may be filed. Defendants moved for transfer and consolidation of the actions before a single district court judge. All plaintiffs in the five actions and all defendants who have appeared in connection with the motion have agreed that the cases should be transferred to a single judge. These actions involve similar questions of law and fact, the potential for duplicative discovery and other common issues or problems. The same industry defendants are involved in the multiple claims. The class of plaintiffs alleged in each of the actions is either identical or overlapping in large degree. The court has determined that the interests of the parties and the judiciary will be furthered by a uniform and coordinated system of litigation management to eliminate duplicative discovery, prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings and conserve the resources of the parties, their counsel and the judiciary. IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that, pursuant to Minn. Stat. §§ 480.16 and 2.724 (1998), the Honorable Gregg E. Johnson of the Second Judicial District, having consented, be appointed to hear and decide all matters, including pretrial and trial proceedings, in the vitamin antitrust cases currently pending in the Minnesota state district courts and any future actions filed in Minnesota state district courts raising similar claims arising from the same alleged conduct. To facilitate the identification and management of these cases, all documents served and filed from the date of this order shall in addition to the individual case captions, bear the general case caption "In Re: Minnesota Vitamin Antitrust Litigation." The Clerk of Appellate Courts shall mail a copy of this order to all counsel who have appeared in conjunction with this motion and who are listed in the attached addendum, to the district court judges assigned to the cases in the courts in which they were filed, to the court administrators in the counties in which the cases were filed, and to the chief judges and district administrators in the districts in which the cases are now pending, as well as to Judge Johnson, Chief Judge Lawrence Cohen and the district and court administrator in the Second Judicial District. If counsel for the moving defendants are aware of any parties who have appeared in any of the pending actions that are not represented on the appended list of counsel, they shall serve a copy of this order on counsel for those parties forthwith. Dated: February 16, 2000 BY THE COURT: /s/Kathleen A. Blatz Chief Justice ADDENDUM I. PENDING CASES Denise DeNardi v. F. Hoffman LaRoche, Ltd., et al. No. 99-3123, Hennepin County District Court Thomas Murr v. F. Hoffman LaRoche, Ltd., et al. No. 19-C9-99-9673, Dakota County District Court Custom Nutrition, Inc. and Brinton Veterinary Supply, Inc. v. F. Hoffman LaRoche, Ltd., et al. No. 34-C4-99-01274 (DMS), Kandiyohi County District Court Big Valley Milling, Inc. v. F. Hoffman LaRoche, Ltd., et al. No. C1-99-405, Chippewa County District Court Form-A-Feed, Inc., et al. v. Akzo Nobel, Inc., et al. No. 43-C0-99-000856, McLeod County District Court II. LIST OF COUNSEL Mr. Dean A. LeDoux Mr. Michael E. Martinez GRAY, PLANT, MOOTY, MOOTY &amp; BENNETT, P.A. 3400 City Center 33 South Sixth Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-3796 Mr. Michael W. Unger RIDER, BENNETT, EGAN &amp; ARUNDEL, L.L.P. 333 South Seventh Street Suite 2000 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 Mr. Mark D. Savin Ms. Ahna M. Thoresen FAEGRE &amp; BENSON, L.L.P. 2200 Norwest Center 90 South Seventh Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-3901 Mr. Neil Buethe BRIGGS &amp; MORGAN 2200 First National Bank Building 332 Minnesota Street St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Mr. Samuel D. Heins Mr. Daniel E. Gustafson Ms. Karla M. Gluek Mr. Vincent J. Esades HEINS, MILLS, &amp; OLSON, P.L.C. 700 Northstar East 608 Second Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 Mr. Timothy D. Battin BAINBRIDGE &amp; STRAUS 5408 Port Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22151 Mr. Seymour Mansfield MANSFIELD, TANICK &amp; COHEN 900 Second Avenue South Suite 1560 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 Mr. William Pentelovitch MASLON, EDELMAN, BORMAN &amp; BRAND, L.L.P. 90 S. Seventh Street, Suite 3300 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-4140 Mr. William L. Sippel Mr. James C. Zacharski Mr. Andrew S. Hansen OPPENHEIMER, WOLFF &amp; DONNELLY L.L.P. Plaza VII Building, Suite 3400 45 South Seventh Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 Mr. Todd Wind FREDRIKSON &amp; BYRON 1100 International Center 900 2nd Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 Mr. Lewis A. Remele, Jr. BASSFORD, LOCKHART, TRUESDELL &amp; BRIGGS 33 S. Sixth Street, Suite 3550 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-3787 Mr. Daniel Shulman SHULMAN, WALCOTT &amp; SHULMAN, P.A. 121 Franklin Avenue W. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 Mr. Joseph T. Dixon, Jr. HENSON &amp; EFRON, P.A. 400 Second Avenue S., Suite 1200 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Mr. Christopher M. Daniels CALDECOTT, WHEELER, SEARLES, DANIELS, FORRO 10 S. Fifth Street, Suite 900 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402