Wileman Bros. & Elliott, Inc. v. Leroy Giannini

909 F.2d 332 1990-2 Trade Cases 69,098 WILEMAN BROS. & ELLIOTT, INC., Frank Thomas Elliott, Jr., dba Elliott Farms, Frank Thomas Elliott III, Kash, Inc., Rodney Chang, and Edward Ogawa, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Leroy GIANNINI, Giannini Packing Corporation, Virgil Rasmussen, Ballantine Produce Co., Inc., Patrick Pinkham, and Gary Van Sickle, Defendants-Appellees. No. 88-15731. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted March 15, 1990. Decided July 10, 1990. Thomas E. Campagne, Fresno, Cal., for plaintiffs-appellants. Mark E. Cullers, Asst. U.S. Atty., Fresno, Cal., for defendants-appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. Before WIGGINS and NOONAN, Circuit Judges, and TASHIMA, * District Judge. TASHIMA, District Judge: BACKGROUND Appellants (plaintiffs) are growers of nectarines and plums who also pack, ship, and market their fruit and that of other growers. Under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 (the "Act"), 7 U.S.C. Sec. 601 et seq., therefore, they are both "producers" and "handlers." 7 U.S.C. Sec. 608c(1). Appellees (defendants) are nectarine and plum producers who compete with…