Steves and Sons, Inc. v. Jeld-Wen, Inc.

MOTION to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim

E.D. Va.April 15, 2020

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA RICHMOND DIVISION STEVES AND SONS, INC., Plaintiff, v. JELD-WEN, INC., Defendant. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-00098 DEFENDANT JELD-WEN, INC.’S MOTION TO DISMISS COUNTS ONE AND TWO OF PLAINTIFF STEVES AND SONS, INC.’S FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT FOR FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM Defendant JELD-WEN, Inc. (“JELD-WEN”), by counsel, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, hereby moves for an order dismissing Counts One and Two of the First Amended Complaint filed by Plaintiff Steves and Sons, Inc. (“Steves”) on April 3, 2020, for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. As set forth more fully in the accompanying memorandum of law, the grounds for this motion are as follows: 1. Steves does not, and cannot, plausibly allege facts showing antitrust impact or antitrust injury to support its claim in Count One for a violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act. 2. Steves’ tortious-interference claim in Count Two must be dismissed under Delaware’s “bootstrapping” doctrine. 3. In the alternative, Steves’ tortious-interference claim in Count Two fails as a matter of law because Steves has failed to adequately allege either of the two types of tortious-interference claims recognized by Delaware law. Case 3:20-cv-00098-REP Document 144 Filed 04/15/20 Page 1 of 4 PageID# 3487 2 Therefore, JELD-WEN respectfully requests that the Court issue an order dismissing Counts One and Two of the Complaint with prejudice. Dated: April 15, 2020 Respectfully submitted, JELD-WEN, Inc. By counsel /s/ Brian C. Riopelle Brian C. Riopelle (VSB #36454) Gregory J. DuBoff McGuireWoods LLP Gateway Plaza 800 East Canal Street Richmond, VA 23219 (804) 775-1084 – Tel. (804) 698-2150 – Fax briopelle@mcguirewoods.com Attorneys for Defendant Case 3:20-cv-00098-REP Document 144 Filed 04/15/20 Page 2 of 4 PageID# 3488 3 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on the 15th day of April 2020, the following counsel of record have been served using the CM/ECF system, which will then send a notification of such filing (NEF) to the registered participants as identified on the NEF to receive electronic service, including: Lewis F. Powell III John S. Martin Alexandra L. Klein Maya M. Eckstein Douglas M. Garron R. Dennis Fairbanks, Jr. Michael Shebelskie William H. Wright, Jr. Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Riverfront Plaza, East Tower 951 East Byrd Street Richmond, VA 23219 (804) 788-8200 – Tel. (804) 788-8218 – Fax lpowell@huntonAK.com martinj@huntonAK.com aklein@huntonAK.com meckstein@huntonAK.com dgarrou@huntonAK.com dfairbanks@huntonAK.com mshebelskie@huntonAK.com cwright@huntonAK.com Ted Dane Glenn Pomerantz Gregory Sergi Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP 350 South Grand Avenue, 50th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071 (213) 683-9288 – Tel. (213) 683-4088 – Fax ted.dane@mto.com glenn.pomerantz@mto.com gregory.sergi@mto.com Kyle Mach Emily C. Curran-Huberty Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP Case 3:20-cv-00098-REP Document 144 Filed 04/15/20 Page 3 of 4 PageID# 3489 4 560 Mission Street, 27th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 512-4000 – Tel. (415) 512-4077 – Fax kyle.mach@mto.com emily.curran-huberty@mto.com Attorneys for Plaintiff Marvin G. Pipkin Kortney Kloppe-Orton Pipkin Law 10001 Reunion Place, Suite 6400 San Antonio, TX 78216 (210) 731-6495 – Tel. (210) 293-2139 – Fax Of Counsel /s/ Brian C. Riopelle Brian C. Riopelle (VSB #36454) McGuireWoods LLP Gateway Plaza 800 East Canal Street Richmond, VA 23219 (804) 775-1084 – Tel. (804) 698-2150 – Fax briopelle@mcguirewoods.com Attorney for Defendant Case 3:20-cv-00098-REP Document 144 Filed 04/15/20 Page 4 of 4 PageID# 3490