Ohio Appeals Court: MillerCoors not a Successor Manufacturer

Dear Client:Remember the Ohio MillerCoors termination lawsuit that's been winding around circuit courts for four years? The Ohio distributors in the case: Beverage Distributors, Heidelberg, Esber, Tramonte, and Muxie sued MillerCoors and its parent companies to stop their termination under the argument that MillerCoors is not a "successor manufacturer" to Miller Brewing Co. or Coors Brewing Co. Under Ohio law, successor manufacturers (which occur after a supplier merger or acquisition) can switch distributors after paying fair market value without cause.