An eight-member jury awarded Coburn Supply Co. $1.8 million in damages, not including lost profits, by unanimous verdict in a lawsuit filed against Kohler Co., the Wisconsin-based manufacturer of plumbing fixtures and supplies. The Beaumont, Texas-based wholesaler charged that Kohler had terminated its 60-year relationship without giving the company reasonable notice.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division in January 2000, but did not go to trial until April 2002. The trial lasted four days. At press time, U.S. District Court Judge Howell Cobb had not yet entered his final judgment.