IN RE: MCCORMICK & COMPANY, INC., PEPPER PRODUCTS MARKETING AND SALES PRACTICES LITIGATION

Filing 212

MEMORANDUM OPINION (Redacted) accompanying 213 Order re 156 plaintiffs' Motion for Class Certification and 164 defendants' Joint Motion to Exclude Expert Report. Signed by Judge Ellen S. Huvelle on July 10, 2019. (AG)

See In re
McCormick

see also Misleading Containers; Nonfunctional SlackFill

See

See Misleading
Containers; Nonfunctional Slack-Fill
see

see

See

See

See, e.g.
filled

see also

See

See also

See, e.g. Escobar v. Just Born, Inc.
See, e.g. Alce v. Wise Foods, Inc.
See Leonhart v. Nature’s Path Foods, Inc
See Cordes v. Boulder Brands USA, Inc.
See Stewart v. Riviana Foods, Inc.
See Buso v. Vigo Importing Co.
See Hendricks v. StarKist Co.
See Martin v. WM. Wrigley Jr. Co.
See, e.g. Miao Xin Hu v. Iovate Health Sciences U.S.A. Inc.
See Kamal v. Eden Creamery
Reider v. Immaculate Baking Co.
Barrere v. Trader Joe’s Co.
See, e.g. Bush v. Mondelez Int’l
See, e.g. Macaspac v. Henkel Corp.

See Cordes

Morrison v. Barcel USA, LLC
appeal withdrawn
Benson v. Fannie May Confections Brands, Inc.
appeal pending
Buso
Daniel v. Tootsie Roll

Indus.
appeal voluntarily dismissed
appeal voluntarily dismissed
Xin Hu
Alce
Wurtzburger v. Kentucky Fried Chicken

Macaspac
Miao
appeal voluntarily withdrawn
Martin v. WM. Wrigley

Jr. Co.
Stewart

Bautista v. CytoSport, Inc.
Bush

appeal voluntarily dismissed
Fermin v. Pfizer Inc.
See Izquierdo v. Mondelez Int’l, Inc.
Bimont v. Unilever U.S., Inc.
O’Connor v. Henkel Corp.
Gordon v. Tootsie Roll Indus.
See Waters v. Ferrara Candy Co.
Smith v. Abbott Labs., Inc.,
Witte v. Gen. Nutrition Corp.
Ivie v. Kraft Foods Glob., Inc.
See Bratton v. Hershey Co.

See
See Trazo v. Nestle USA, Inc.
Samet v.
Procter & Gamble Co.
see
See, e.g.

Leonhart
Thomas v. Costco Wholesale Corp.
Hawkins v. Nestle U.S.A. Inc.
Yee Ting Lau v. Pret A Manger (USA) Ltd.
Daniel v. Mondelez Int’l, Inc.
Martinez-Leander v. Wellnx Life Sciences, Inc.
Waldman v. New Chapter, Inc.

See Escobar
See Berni v. Barilla G. e R. Fratelli, S.p.A.
Hendricks v. StarKist Co
aff’d sub nom.
Hendricks v. Ference
See Spacone v. Sanford, L.P
appeal voluntarily dismissed
Born, Inc.
appeal voluntarily dismissed
Carma Labs., Inc.

White v. Just
White II
Turcios v.
voluntarily dismissed

See

see also

See

See

See

See

See

See

See

See
See
infra

See

See

See

See

See Watkins Inc. v. McCormick & Co.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
See

Watkins

Watkins sues spice giant McCormick & Co. over pepper tins

Wall Street Journal See
Same Package, Same Price, Less Product–It’s Called a ‘Weight-Out’ in the
Business–a Less Direct Way to Raise Prices for Consumers
see also

McCormick Says It Is Not Deceiving Customers with Product

Labeling

See Dupler v. McCormick & Co.

See Vladimirsky v.
McCormick & Co.

See

See In re McCormick & Co., Inc., Pepper Prods. Mktg. &
Sales Practices Litig.

See Bunting v. McCormick & Co.
v. McCormick & Co.
& Co.

Esparza
Ferreri v. McCormick
Linker v. McCormick & Co.
Jung v. McCormick & Co.
Bittle v. McCormick & Co.
Vladimirsky v. McCormick & Co.
Marsh v. McCormick & Co.
Pellitteri v.
McCormick & Co.
Barnes v. McCormick & Co.
Theis v. McCormick & Co.
Thornton v. McCormick & Co.
Gerstnecker v. McCormick & Co.
Marron v. McCormick & Co.
Fernandez v.
McCormick & Co.

see supra

Watkins

See

Esparza
Bunting
Watkins
See In re McCormick
Watkins, Inc. v.
McCormick & Co.

See In re McCormick

See id.

Id

Id
Id

Id

In
re McCormick

Id

See
see In re McCormick

See
see also

See

Id

see also id

See

See

See

See

See

See

See

See
See

See

In re Lorazepam & Clorazepate
Antitrust Litig.

Amchem Prods.,
Inc. v. Windsor

Amchem.

Comcast Corp. v. Behrend

Wal-

Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes
Id

Wal-Mart
in fact

Id

Wal-Mart

Comcast

Amgen Inc. v. Conn. Ret. Plans & Trust Funds

Id.
Hartman v. Duffey

See In re Korean Air Lines Disaster of Sept. 1,
1983

aff’d sub nom. Chan v. Korean Air Lines, Ltd.

See, e.g. In re Yasmin & Yaz (Drospirenone) Mktg., Sales Practices & Prod. Liab.
Litig.
In re Toys “R” Us-Delaware, Inc.-Fair
& Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) Litig.

See

See In re Korean Air Lines Disaster

Id.

In re Korean Air Lines Disaster

Walsh v. Ford Motor Co.

In re School Asbestos

Litig.
materially
Klay v. Humana, Inc.

abrogated in part on

other grounds by Bridge v. Phx. Bond & Indem. Co.

see also Grandalski v.

Quest Diagnostics Inc.

Klay
Walsh
Cos.

see also Langan v. Johnson & Johnson Consumer

In re U.S. Foodservice Inc. Pricing Litig.
sua sponte

See, e.g. Sacred Heart Health Sys., Inc. v. Humana Military
Healthcare Servs., Inc.
Erica P. John Fund, Inc. v. Halliburton
Co.
See, e.g. Mazza v. Am. Honda Motor Co.

Mullins v. Premier Nutrition Corp.
see also In re Bisphenol-A (BPA) Polycarbonate
Plastic Prods. Liab. Litig.

See, e.g.
Grandalski
In re Pharm. Indus. Average Wholesale Price
Litig.

In re Telectronics Pacing Sys., Inc.

Hughes v. Ester C Co.
Rodriguez v. It's Just Lunch, Intern.
Johnson v. Nextel Commc’ns Inc.

Marshall v. H & R Block Tax Servs., Inc.
In re Rhone–Poulenc Rorer Inc.

Zinser v. Accufix

See

Research Inst., Inc.

opinion amended on denial of reh’g

In re Am. Med. Sys., Inc.

In re 100% Grated
Parmesan Cheese Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig.

see Amchem

In re Hyundai & Kia Fuel
Econ. Litig.

In re Mexico Money Transfer Litig.

Id.

See

see also

Burden of proof

See

Scienter

see

See De Bouse v.
Bayer AG

McKee v. Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc.
Graphic Commc’ns Local 1B Health &

Welfare Fund “A” v. CVS Caremark Corp.

See, e.g. Mazza

Definition of Deception

Fowler v. O’Hara

material to a reasonable consumer’s
decision to purchase
capacity or tendency to deceive consumers

See id

Saucier v. Countrywide
Home Loans
Laura v.
DaimlerChrysler Corp.

Zine v. Chrysler

Corp.

City of Clinton v. Pilgrim’s
Pride Corp.

Lowell Gas Co. v. Attorney Gen.

Azar v. Prudential Ins. Co.

capacity

Thornell v. Seattle Serv. Bureau, Inc.
Hangman Ridge Training Stables, Inc. v. Safeco Title

Ins. Co.

Causation/Injury/Loss

See Patrick v. Wells Fargo Bank

Hangman Ridge
Avery v. State
Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.

Fitzpatrick v. Gen. Mills, Inc.

See Jones v. Gen. Motors Corp.

Shaulis v. Nordstrom, Inc.
Tyler v. Michaels Stores, Inc.

Id
Bellerman v. Fitchburg Gas & Elec. Light Co.

see also

See

See, e.g. Mazza

In re ConAgra Peanut Butter Prod. Liab. Litig.
Thompson v. Bayer Corp.
Mantiply v. Mantiply,
see In re Grand Theft
Auto Video Game Consumer Litig.
See, e.g. Vista Healthplan, Inc. v. Cephalon, Inc.

See, e.g. In re Abbott Labs. Norvir Anti-Trust Litig.
In re Terazosin Hydrochloride Antitrust Litig.
In re Thalomid & Revlimid Antitrust Litig.
See, e.g. Keilholtz v. Lennox Hearth Prods. Inc.
Overka v. Am. Airlines, Inc.

El Paso Prod. Co. v. Blanchard

Melat, Pressman
& Higbie, LLP v. Hannon Law Firm, LLC

Gagne v. Vaccaro,

Town of New Hartford v. Connecticut Res. Recovery Auth.

HPI Health Care Servs., Inc.
v. Mt. Vernon Hosp., Inc.

Mandarin Trading Ltd. v. Wildenstein
Film Distrib. Corp. v. New York

Harvell v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

Paramount

Realmark Developments, Inc. v. Ranson
see also

Alaska Sales & Serv., Inc. v. Millet

Peterson v. Cellco P’ship
Comet Theatre Enters. v. Cartwright

Hill v. Cross Country Settlements, LLC

Metro. Life Ins. Co. v. Cotter

Global Investors

Agent Corp. v. National Fire Ins. Co.
Howard
v. Turnbull

Am. Std. Ins. Co. v. Bracht

Kellogg v. Shushereba

Gallipo v. Rutland

Mueller v. Mueller

Legault v. Legault

See In re Gen. Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litig.
Porter v. Hu
Mosebach v.
Blythe
Corsello v. Verizon New York, Inc.
Mountain State Coll. v. Holsinger

See Batman v. Deutsch
Reed v. Zipcar, Inc.
EllisDon Constr., Inc. v. Clemson Univ.
VCS, Inc. v. Utah Cmty. Bank

Firey v. Orozco

See Alce
Bautista
See, e.g. Samiento v. World Yacht Inc.
Guinness, USA, Inc.

Izquierdo
O’Hara v. Diageo-

See In re Santa Fe Nat. Tobacco Co. Mktg. & Sales Practices & Prod. Liab. Litig.

see also
Firey

See In re Gen. Motors
In re Aqua Dots Prods. Liab.
i.e

Litig.
is
See Porter

Mosebach v.
Blythe
Mountain State Coll.
Batman
EllisDon Constr
VCS, Inc.

Comcast

See supra

See

Coleman v. District of Columbia

Gen. Tel. Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity
Comm’n

see also Council of & for the Blind v. Regan

Coleman
See,
e.g. id

See

J.D. v. Azar
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart

Robidoux v. Celani

see J.D.

see Hoyte v. District of Columbia
See
Marcus v. BMW of North America, LLC
Harik v. Cal. Teachers Ass’n

Wal-Mart

Id

See

see

also e.g. Hendricks v. StarKist Co.

See

See Hilsley v. Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.

Alcantar v. Hobart Serv

See
infra

See

Broomfield v. Craft Brew Alliance, Inc.

See infra

See also, e.g., In re NJOY, Inc. Consumer Class Action Litig.
Mednick v. Precor, Inc.
White II
Randolph
v. J.M. Smucker Co.

J.D.
Id

Gen. Tel.

Co. v. Falcon

Kifafi v. Hilton Hotels Ret. Plan,

In re Vitamins Antitrust Litig.

claims or defenses

J.D.

Id
see also Wal-Mart

In re Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litig.

See

see also

See

See

See

See

see

Id

Id

Id

J.D.

Nat’l Ass’n of Regional Med. Programs, Inc. v. Mathews,
see also J.D.

Twelve John Does v. District of Columbia

See

infra

Id

Id

See
See supra

infra

J.D.

See Sandusky Wellness Ctr., LLC v. Medtox Scientific, Inc.

Id
See,
e.g. Mullins v. Direct Digital

In re Petrobras Sec.

Carrera v. Bayer Corp.

See Karhu v. Vital Pharm., Inc.
Karhu

see
See, e.g. Fitzpatrick

See In re Korean Air Lines Disaster

See In re Korean Air

See Mullins v. Direct Digital
Briseno v. ConAgra Foods, Inc.

Sandusky Wellness Ctr., LLC v. Medtox Scientific, Inc.
see Rikos v. Procter & Gamble Co.

Compare In re Petrobras Sec.
with Brecher v.
Republic of Argentina,
see also EQT Prod. Co. v. Adair
John
v. Nat’l Sec Fire & Cas. Co.

Lines Disaster

Mullins v. Direct Digital

id
See id
Briseno v.
ConAgra Foods, Inc.

see Karhu
See, e.g. Randolph
In re Korean Air Lines Disaster
see
also supra

Carrera
See Briseno

Mullins v. Direct

Digital
Briseno

Mullins v. Direct Digital

See Comcast
Amchem

Tyson Foods, Inc. v.
Bouaphakeo

Id.

Id.

Klay

see also In re

Tropicana Orange Juice Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig.

McKinney v. U.S. Postal Serv.

see also In

re Vitamins
see also Butler v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Comcast

Wal-Mart
Comcast

et seq
et seq
et seq

see

See Hadley v. Kellogg Sales Co.
Ebner v. Fresh, Inc.
PNR, Inc. v. Beacon Prop. Mgmt., Inc.
Mednick v.
Precor, Inc.
Suchanek v. Sturm Foods,
Webb v. Dr Pepper Snapple Grp., Inc.

Inc.

Murphy v. Stonewall Kitchen, LLC
See, e.g. Bradach v. Pharmavite, LLC
Cold Stone Creamery, Inc. v. Lenora Foods I, LLC
Flynn v. FCA US LLC
Hawkins v. Nestle U.S.A. Inc.

see, e.g.

see

ee also Hawkins v. Nestle U.S.A. Inc.

see, e.g. Kamal v. Eden Creamery, LLC
Escobar v. Just Born Inc.
Stemm v. Tootsie
Roll Indus.

Hawkins

Benson v. Fannie May Confections Brands, Inc.

See
capable

see infra

see also

See

See

See

See, e.g. Hilsley
Alcantar

Comcast

Id

Id

See

In re Wellbutrin XL Antitrust Litig.

see also In re

Neurontin Antitrust Litig.

Kleen Prods. LLC v. Int’l Paper Co.

Hoyte v. District of
Columbia

McCarthy v. Kleindienst

See, e.g. Farar v. Bayer AG

Suchanek v. Sturm Foods, Inc.

In re ConAgra Foods, Inc.

aff’d sub nom. Briseno v. ConAgra
Foods, Inc.

and

Kumar v.

Salov N. Am. Corp.

Hadley v. Kellogg Sales Co.

See

see also

id

Compare Kumar
with Victor v. R.C.
Bigelow, Inc.

See

See, e.g.

See

See

See

see also

See, e.g. Kumar

Farar

Fitzhenry-Russell v. Dr. Pepper Snapple Grp.,
Inc.

Canada Dry is made with real ginger

Martin

v. Monsanto Co.

Mullins v. Premier Nutrition Corp.

See, e.g. In re 5-Hour Energy Mktg. & Sales
Practices Litig.

Cormier v. Carrier Corp.

consumer

Amgen

Comcast

Amgen

Amgen

id

Id.

Id.

Comcast
Comcast

infra

See Bradach

v. Pharmavite, LLC

Hadley
Suchanek

See Suchanek

Langendorf v. Skinnygirl Cocktails, LLC
Clark v. Bumbo Int’l Trust

must

See Hilsley

See also Hilsley
Arris Cable Modem Consumer Litig.
Boiron, Inc.

Broomfield

In re
Lewert v.
Escobar

Vioxx Class Cases

Kwikset Corp. v. Superior Court
Cases

In re Tobacco II

see also Racies v. Quincy Bioscience, LLC

Amgen

no

See Kwikset
In re Tobacco II Cases

Werdebaugh v. Blue Diamond Growers
see also e.g. Hadley

Amgen

Bradach

Tait v. BSH Home Appliances Corp.
Bradach

See also Lewert v. Boiron,
Mullins v. Premier Nutrition

Amgen

id
Fitzhenry-

Russell
Amgen

Amgen

Broomfield

Schneider v.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Butler v. Porsche Cars N. Am., Inc.
Hilsley

Id
see also Escobar

Bradach

Hadley

Amgen
Amgen
Bradach

See

In

re 5-Hour Energy

Kosta v. Del
Monte Foods, Inc.

Jones v. ConAgra

how
Townsend v. Monster Beverage Corp.

In re 5-Hour Energy

see
also Jones v. ConAgra
See Alvarez v. NBTY, Inc.

Kosta

Kosta

Id

Stearns v. Ticketmaster

Corp.

Bradach

Comcast
Amgen

Tyson

See Brockey v. Moore

see also Clemens v. DaimlerChrysler
Corp.

Hadley

Colgan v. Leatherman Tool Grp., Inc.
Mullins v. Premier Nutrition

Colgan

See Fitzhenry-Russell

See Hadley

see also supra
see
see
see

In re Tobacco II Cases

Hadley

Id.

Id.

Steroid Hormone Prod. Cases
as modified on denial of reh'g
Engalla v. Permanente Medical Grp., Inc.

See

see
See, e.g.
Kwikset

Kumar

Hinojos v. Kohl’s Corp.

but see Victor

De Bouse

Id
Clark v. Bumbo
Connick v. Suzuki Motor Co.

Connick

see also Lateef v. Pharmavite LLC

Mednick

Pella Corp. v. Saltzman,
Oshana v. Coca-Cola
Co.

see also Avery

Oliveira v. Amoco Oil Co.

See Siegel v. Shell Oil Co

See Clark v. Experian Info. Solutions, Inc.

Walsh Chiropractic, Ltd. v. StrataCare, Inc.

Barbara’s
Sales, Inc. v. Intel Corp.

See Suchanek

see also Pella Corp,

In re IKO Roofing Shingle Prods. Liab.
Litig.

Pella
see

also Tyson Foods,

Amchem

See Suchanek

Comcast

see supra

Cf Suchanek

not

See

Suchanek

Suchanek

Suchanek

Suchanek

see also Suchanek

Wall Street Journal

i.e.,
Suchanek

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Suchanek

Suchanek

Suchanek

Id.
Langendorf
Langendorf

no

Id

Id
Clark v. Bumbo

Skinnygirl

Bumbo

Suchanek

City First Mortg. Corp.
v. Barton

Rollins, Inc. v. Butland
see also Carriuolo v. Gen. Motors Co.

Davis v. Powertel, Inc.

see supra

Fitzpatrick

Carriuolo
see also State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Performance Orthapaedics &

Neurosurgery LLC

Carriuolo

Rollins, Inc. v. Heller,

State Farm

Amgen

Davis

See, e.g. Carriuolo
Fitzpatrick

Hasemann v. Gerber Prod. Co.

Nelson
v. Mead Johnson Nutrition Co.

Randolph v. J.M. Smucker Co.
Pop’s Pancakes, Inc. v. NuCO2, Inc.

See Bowe v. Pub. Storage

See also Miami Auto. Retail, Inc. v. Baldwin

Rollins v. Butland

Perisic v. Ashley Furniture Indus.,
Inc.

Hummel v. Tamko Bldg. Prods.

See Carriuolo

State Farm

Murphy v. Stonewall
Kitchen, LLC
see supra

Plubell v. Merck & Co.

see also Murphy

Hawkins

White v. Just Born, Inc.
White I

Bratton v. Hershey Co.
Bratton I

Plubell

George v. Omega Flex, Inc.
Polk v. KV Pharm. Co.
see Hawkins

White I

Bratton I

Murphy

Plubell

see also

Thompson v. Allergan USA, Inc.

Hawkins
Bratton I

White I

see, e.g. White I

Hawkins

Bratton I

White v. Just Born

See White
White II
White II

State ex rel. Coca-Cola Co.

v. Nixon

Nixon

Id.

Id.

Id.

Nixon

Craft

Id

Craft v. Philip Morris Cos.

Craft
Nixon
see also Hope v. Nissan N.A. Inc
Nixon

Plubell

Craft Hope

Plubell

Plubell

See

at the expense of another

Lyles v. Sangadeo-Patel

as between the two persons

Ghirardo v. Antonioli

that the failure of payment
was to the plaintiffs’ detriment

Hartford Whalers Hockey Club v. Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Co.
see also id.

it becomes necessary in any case where the benefit of the doctrine is claimed, to
examine the circumstances and the conduct of the parties

must be determined by the nature of the dealings between the recipient of the benefit and the
party seeking restitution, and those dealings will necessarily vary from one case to the next
4934, Inc. v. Distrist of Columbia Dep’t of Emp’t Servs

to the plaintiff’s detriment

HPI Health Care Servs., Inc. v. Mt. Vernon Hosp., Inc.

as between the two
First Nat’l Bank of Md. v. Shpritz
if the parties receive what

they intended to obtain

Am. Std. Ins. Co
unique

factual circumstances

Styer v. Hugo

aff’d

In re Tropicana Orange Juice Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig.

In
re Tropicana
In re Dial Complete Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig.

In re Dial

Id

Id

Lipton v. Chattem, Inc.

Lipton

Id
In re BPA

In re BPA

all

Amchem

Amchem

Klay

Briseno v. ConAgra Foods, Inc.

Amchem

supra

McKinney

See