Court Opinion

ID: 9665368
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 00:46:12.012985+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:15.119062
License: Public Domain

LUNDSTEN, J.
¶ 65. (dissenting). I agree with all parts of the majority opinion, except its conclusion that Woodman's submissions did not create a disputed issue of fact regarding the "effect" of Woodman's diesel fuel pricing. Accordingly, I respectfully dissent.
¶ 66. The majority correctly concludes that Woodman's may overcome James Gross's prima facie case by showing it did not intend to violate Wis. Stat. § 100.30 and that its diesel fuel pricing did not have a negative effect covered by the statute. The majority explains that Gross sufficiently asserted injury by alleging that he lowered his diesel prices in response to Woodman's diesel prices, thereby losing revenue. Majority at ¶¶ 39, 51. The majority acknowledges that Woodman's presented evidence regarding the inconvenient location of its diesel pump, lack of marketing, and low sales volume to non-Woodman's customers, and that this evidence "creates a reasonable inference that [Woodman's] diesel fuel prices did not divert diesel customers from Gross." Majority at ¶ 51. However, in the majority's view, such evidence does not contradict Gross's assertion that he lowered his prices in response to Woodman's diesel *235prices and lost revenue, thereby suffering an injurious "effect" under § 100.30(3). Majority at ¶¶ 48-51. The majority's reasoning seems to be that, regardless whether Woodman's diverted trade from Gross and regardless whether Gross sensibly lowered his diesel prices to compete with Woodman's, it is uncontroverted that Gross did lower his diesel prices in response to Woodman's prices. I view the matter differently.
¶ 67. As the majority rightly concludes, Woodman's is a "competitor" within the meaning of Wis. Stat. § 100.30(3). I agree that a party is a competitor under the statute simply by virtue of selling the same fuel product in the relevant geographic area. Majority at ¶¶ 44-45. More to the point here, I agree with the majority that, although the effort "the seller makes to market a motor vehicle fuel and the actual number of sales it makes" are not relevant to whether the seller is a "competitor," such evidence may be relevant to the effect of the seller's sales. Majority at ¶ 45. Stated differently, I agree with the majority's conclusion that just because Woodman's is a "competitor" under the statute does not necessarily mean Woodman's is the sort of competitor whose pricing has an effect on the market. I part company with the majority because, I agree with Woodman's that its submissions created a factual dispute regarding Gross's assertion that he lowered his diesel fuel prices in response to Woodman's diesel fuel pricing. Woodman's factual assertions tend to show that no reasonable diesel fuel seller would care about the diesel fuel prices charged by Woodman's.
¶ 68. The affidavit of Thomas Wysocki, manager of Woodman's Onalaska store, contains the following assertions. Woodman's Onalaska store has had only one diesel pump since the store opened its fuel station. Woodman's installed the single diesel pump for the sole *236purpose of fueling its own semi-trucks, which haul products to and from Woodman's stores. "Woodman's [diesel pump] is not readily accessible to or customer friendly for non-Woodman's semi-trucks." A semi-tractor must first drop its trailer in order to maneuver up to the pump, and there is no room in the "driveway/parking cement area of the gas station" to drop trailers. Woodman's semi drivers drop their trailers at a different location, such as the warehouse docks, before heading to the pump to fill up. Diesel fuel sales not made to Woodman's own semi-trucks are not made to other semi-trucks, but to "owners of older cars that still utilize diesel fuel." Wysocki has been the manager of Woodman's Onalaska store since it opened in 1994 and he has never seen a non-Woodman's semi-truck fill up with diesel fuel at the Woodman's station. Woodman's has no marketing policy or strategy to sell diesel fuel to the public. Woodman's did not post or advertise its diesel price. The only way a customer could determine Woodman's diesel fuel price was to read the price on the pump itself.
¶ 69. Wysocki's affidavit avers that diesel fuel sales are "insignificant" compared with sales of other types of fuels. A chart, prepared by Wysocki and attached to his affidavit, addresses the 421 days, between September 13, 1998, and June 3, 2000, on which Gross originally asserted violations. Not counting sales to Woodman's own semi-trucks, the chart documents 179 days with no diesel fuel sales at all, 227 days with less than ten gallons sold, and 275 days with less than twenty gallons sold. Thus, not counting Woodman's own trucks, the chart shows that on 42% of the days Gross initially alleged violations, Woodman's made no diesel fuel sales at all, and on 65% of those days, Woodman's sold less than twenty gallons.
*237¶ 70. Wysocki asserted, in contrast, that Gross's Citgo Quick Mart station advertises diesel prices, along with other fuel prices, on a sign clearly visible from an adjacent four-lane highway. Gross's diesel pumps are situated so that a semi-truck driver can easily pull right up to the pumps without dropping its trailer.
¶ 71. Based on Wysocki's assertions, it could reasonably be inferred that Gross never saw billboards or other signs advertising Woodman's as a diesel fuel seller, that Gross never saw Woodman's diesel prices posted in a place visible from the street, that Gross himself had to go up to Woodman's diesel pump to see the price, and that Gross never saw a non-Woodman's semi-truck at Woodman's diesel pump and seldom saw any vehicle at that pump. The question naturally arises whether Gross actually lowered his diesel prices in response to Woodman's diesel prices and, therefore, whether Woodman's diesel pricing and sales had any effect on Gross.
¶ 72. The majority acknowledges that Woodman's evidence "creates a reasonable inference that [Woodman's] diesel fuel prices did not divert diesel customers from Gross." Majority at ¶ 51.1 conclude that this same evidence casts doubt on Gross's claim of injury. Just as the facts suggest that Woodman's did not divert diesel customers from Gross, they also suggest that Gross knew Woodman's posed no threat to Gross's diesel fuel business.
¶ 73. It might be argued that Woodman's failed to offer evidence contradicting Gross's assertion because Woodman's did not offer evidence showing that semi-tractors are the main market for diesel fuel. I disagree. In his deposition, Willard Woodman, president of Woodman's, (1) expressed an unspecified degree of familiarity with the market for motor vehicle fuels, (2) *238explained what goes into Woodman's fuel pricing decisions, and (3) said he sometimes assists in making gasoline pricing decisions. Willard Woodman averred that diesel fuel is "really [a] truck stop business." Jurors could interpret this assertion, in light of common experience, to mean that semi-trucks are the main market for diesel fuel. While additional expert testimony might be desirable at trial, it is not needed to place this factual issue before a jury. "The requirement of expert testimony is an extraordinary one, and [should be] applied by the trial court only when unusually complex or esoteric issues are before the jury." White v. Leeder, 149 Wis. 2d 948, 960, 440 N.W.2d 557 (1989).
¶ 74. I note that the lengthy majority decision only begins to reveal the complicated factual and legal issues dealt with before the circuit court. The narrow issue I address was one of dozens. While Woodman's made the argument I adopt here, it did so primarily in the context of arguing that it was not a "competitor" under Wis. Stat. § 100.30(3) and that it did not "intend" to violate the statute. Nonetheless, Woodman's also argued, both before the circuit court and before this court, that its evidence put in dispute whether its diesel sales had an effect on Gross. With focused hindsight, I conclude that this argument should have prevailed.
¶ 75. Having rejected the majority's conclusion regarding "effect," I must briefly address "intent." The submissions show there is a factual dispute regarding intent with respect to diesel fuel sales. The same evidence summarized above — including the assertions that Woodman's had only one diesel pump, did not advertise its diesel price (except at the pump), and had *239no diesel fuel marketing strategy — suggests there was no intent to unfairly divert trade or otherwise injure a competitor.
¶ 76. Accordingly, I would reverse the circuit court's order granting summary judgment in favor of Gross with respect to the alleged violations involving diesel fuel sales below the ATP formula.