Ronald Cohn, Inc. v. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.

BACKGROUND

7 On May 6, 2019, Cohn filed this action against Sprouts alleging claims for violation 8 of California’s Unfair Competition Law (Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200), breach of the 9 covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and tortious interference, among other claims. In 10 October 1990, Sprouts’ predecessor, Boney’s Services, Inc. entered into a Tradename 11 License Agreement with Cohn for the operation of a grocery store in Chula Vista, 12 California. Boney’s Services, Inc. and Cohn entered into a second Tradename License 13 Agreement in September 1995 allowing Cohn to open and operate a second store in Chula 14 Vista, California. In 1997, the two Tradename License Agreements were amended to 15 reflect a tradename change from “Boney’s Services, Inc.” to “Henry’s Marketplace, Inc.” 16 In 2011, Sprouts acquired the brand and again amended the two Tradename License 17 Agreements (together with its amendments and addendums, the “TLA”). 18 Cohn now seeks preliminary injunctive relief alleging that since the filing of this 19 action, Sprouts has taken increasingly aggressive retaliatory action against Cohn, including 20 but not limited to performing various…