Boland, Inc. v. Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp.

ORDER

Defendant “Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp.” manufactures pet supply products. Plaintiff Boland Inc., d/b/a S & S Supplies, distributes products from defendant and other manufacturers to individual retailers. In 2007, Hagen effectively eliminated the middleman by offering to sell directly to retailers on the same terms offered to distributors. Plaintiff filed suit, bringing contract, trade secret, and other state law claims. Pending before the court is defendant’s motion for summary judgment on all claims. The court resolves this motion on the papers and after oral argument. For the reasons stated below, the motion is granted in part and denied in part.

I. BACKGROUND

The following discussion of the facts is meant to provide context for the present dispute. The facts are discussed in greater detail in the court’s analysis.

A. The Parties’ Initial Relationship

Plaintiff Boland is a family corporation. Its president is Sam Sarkissian. Many, if not all, of its directors and managers are members of the Sarkissian family. Sometime around 1993, plaintiff began purchasing pet products from defendant and distributing these products to individual retailers. Plaintiff contends that at…