Appeals Court Puts Empire v. Breakthru Case to Bed

Yesterday an appeals court upheld a lower court's decision to dismiss the lawsuit Empire Merchants filed against Breakthru Beverage subsidiary Reliable Churchill because Empire's arguments fell short.BACKGROUND. Recall, Empire Merchants filed federal fraud charges in September against a long list of defendants including: its co-owner Charlie Merinoff, Breakthru chief Greg Baird, Reliable Churchill, along with several Maryland retailers. Empire claimed the defendants defrauded the company through an alcohol smuggling scheme from Maryland to New York to avoid paying taxes for