Opinion ID: 3049595
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: In-Service Testing

Text: 2 By using this technique, two sides of each stake were treated and two untreated. The district court noted that Viance did not field coat the untreated sides of the stakes. Osmose argues that Viance did not follow the AWPA’s E7 protocol for field stake tests because Viance used pre-treated wood and cut non-standard stake sizes. Viance does not dispute that it did not strictly follow the E7 protocol. It argues that any deviations were immaterial because its advertisements do not state that it used the E7 protocol and because the deviations from the protocol do not undermine the results of the test. 6 Viance then conducted an in-service survey of MCQ-treated wood. Viance hired a private investigation firm to search central Florida for in-use MCQ-treated posts showing signs of decay. In July 2008, that firm prepared a report noting that it had visited eighteen sites and interviewed numerous retailers and builders and that none had experienced or heard of any problems regarding premature decay in MCQ-treated products. Viance continued to search. In November 2008, it discovered posts allegedly showing premature decay in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Viance hired Timber Products Inspection, Inc. (“Timber Products”), an independent company that inspects and tests wood products, to test the eleven posts removed from the Baton Rouge site. Viance chose the posts to extract. Timber Products rated the posts on the AWPA’s E7 scale, a 10 point scale of soundness in which 10 represents sound wood and 0 represents total failure.3 On November 14, 2008, Timber Products issued a report (“November 2008 TP Report”) in which it rated 3 The score is based on a subjective determination of the degree of decay of the wood. The rating scale is as follows: 10 - Sound, no sign or evidence of decay, wood softening or discoloration caused by microorganism attack; 9.5 - Trace-suspect, some areas of discoloration and/or softening associated with superficial microorganism attack; 9 - Slight attack, decay and wood softening is present, up to 3% of the cross sectional area is affected; 8 - Moderate attack, similar to 9 but more extensive attack with 3-10% of cross sectional area affected; 7 - Moderate/severe attack, sample has between 10-30% of cross sectional area decayed; 6 - Severe attack, sample has between 30-50% of cross sectional area decayed; 4 - Very severe attack, sample has between 50-75% of cross-sectional area decayed; 0 - Failure, sample has functionally failed. 7 all eleven MCQ posts removed from the Louisiana site as a 9 or 9.5 on the scale. Timber Products also noted that its report should not be considered as acceptance or rejection for the grade, treatment or physical quality of the tested material. Sometime in late 2008 or early 2009, Viance discovered posts allegedly showing signs of premature decay in Alpharetta, Georgia. The posts were allegedly installed in September or October of 2007. Viance selected forty-five posts and had Timber Products assign them a visual rating. Timber Products also took fourteen of the forty-five posts and subjected them to a more thorough investigation. On January 21, 2009, Timber Products released another report summarizing its findings (“January 2009 TP Report”). Of the forty-five posts visually inspected, twenty-six posts rated a 10, eleven rated a 9.5, five rated a 9, two rated an 8, and one rated a 7. Of the fourteen posts subjected to further examination, four posts rated a 10, five posts rated a 9.5, two posts rated a 9, two posts rated an 8, and one post rated a 7. The January 2009 TP Report contained the same disclaimer that the report should not be considered as acceptance or rejection for the grade, treatment or physical quality of the tested material. Over the course of its search, Viance estimates that it inspected roughly 800 posts, two-thirds of which were treated with MCQ. Thus, they investigated roughly 530 MCQ-treated posts. 8