Opinion ID: 1923691
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Background of Litigation

Text: An understanding of the issues here requires a brief review of the background of this litigation and other litigation between these same parties arising out of many of the same statutes and regulations involved here which was recently disposed of by this Court. On July 31, 1959, this Court handed down three opinions in three separate cases involving this Distributor and other distributors holding licenses from the Florida Milk Commission. [4] It would unduly burden the record to recite in detail the issues presented in those proceedings and the holding of this Court with reference to such issues. Suffice it to say, many of the propositions urged by the Distributor in the complaint involved in this appeal were involved in one or more of those cases. Rehearing was granted on the original opinions, the causes were reargued and the per curiam opinions on rehearing in each of the three cases were filed on June 22, 1960. The net result of the rehearing was to modify the original opinions in only one respect and that was a holding that a portion of Order No. 20-7 of the Milk Commission requiring a showing of cause in addition to the ninety days' notice in order to terminate a previously established course of dealings was invalid and unenforceable. In all other respects the first opinions were adhered to on rehearing. Petitions for rehearing of the per curiam opinions on rehearing were denied July 13, 1960 thus bringing to a close those phases of the litigation involved in the three suits above mentioned. The complaint in this cause was filed February 19, 1960 by the Distributor. At the time of the filing of the complaint which again presents for decision many of the questions which were finally decided in the three cases above mentioned July 13, 1960, (some five months later) the questions raised in the three cases mentioned above were in the breast of this Court for consideration and had not been finally determined.