COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. OF ELIZABETHTOWN, INC. v. COCA-COLA CO.

Nos. 91-3496, 91-3498.

988 F.2d 386 (1993)

COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY OF ELIZABETHTOWN, INC.; Jackson Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Incorporated; New Bern Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.; Plymouth Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Incorporated; Owensboro Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Shelbyville, Inc.; Beaver Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Quaker State Coca-Cola Bottling Company; The Cleveland Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Keystone Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Reading Coca-Cola Bottling Works; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Shreveport, Inc. (formerly Star Bottling Works, Ltd.); The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Fort Smith, a partnership; Texarkana Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Las Cruces Coca-Cola Bottling Company; West Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company; The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Tucson, Inc.; Hattiesburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Magnolia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Tulsa, Inc.; Ouachita Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Natchez Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.; Wichita Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (North Dakota); Marshall Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Liquidating Trust; Permian Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Scioto Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Richmond Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Kennett (a partnership); Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Jamestown; Streator Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Texas Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Jefferson City Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc., Alexandria, MN; Deming Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Trenton Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Macon Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Mary Louise Goodrich; Mary Louise Kay Robinson, individually and as trustee of the Kendall family inter vivos trust; Ann Kay Hobson Haack, individually and as trustee of the Kendall family inter vivos trust; John K. Hobson; Margaret Dodge Hobson, individually and as trustee of the Kendall family inter vivos trust (Subst. for Natchez Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.); Oliver C. Hutaff, Jr., as Trustee under Shareholders' Lawsuit Trust Agreement (Subst. for Wilmington Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc. and Kelford Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.) v. The COCA-COLA COMPANY, a Delaware corporation, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Mt. Pleasant; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Muskegeon; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Dickinson; Laredo Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc., Intervenors in D.C., Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Magnolia; Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Elizabethtown, Inc. (also successor by merger to Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Owensboro); Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Shelbyville; Trenton Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Plymouth Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Dickinson; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Jamestown; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Williston; Cleveland Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Lehigh Valley (formerly known as Bethlehem); Laredo Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Love Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of LaCrosse; Arkansas-Georgia Company (also known as Nashville); Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Streator; Natchez Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Jefferson City; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Macon; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Deming; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Tulsa; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Brownsville (RGV); Coca-Cola Bottling Company of San Angelo; Las Cruces Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Tucson; Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Alexandria); Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Marshall; Oliver C. Hutaff, Jr., as Trustee under Shareholders' Lawsuit Trust Agreement (Subst. for Wilmington Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc. and Kelford Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.), Appellants. COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY OF ELIZABETHTOWN, INC.; Jackson Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Incorporated; New Bern Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.; Plymouth Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Incorporated; Owensboro Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Shelbyville, Inc.; Beaver Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Quaker State Coca-Cola Bottling Company; The Cleveland Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Keystone Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Reading Coca-Cola Bottling Works; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Shreveport, Inc. (formerly Star Bottling Works, Ltd.); The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Fort Smith, a partnership; Texarkana Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Las Cruces Coca-Cola Bottling Company; West Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company; The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Tucson, Inc.; Hattiesburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Magnolia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Tulsa, Inc.; Ouachita Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Natchez Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.; Wichita Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (North Dakota); Marshall Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Liquidating Trust; Permian Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Scioto Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Richmond Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Kennett (a partnership); Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Jamestown; Streator Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Texas Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Jefferson City Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc., Alexandria, MN; Deming Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Trenton Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Macon Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Mary Louise Goodrich; Mary Louise Kay Robinson, individually and as trustee of the Kendall family inter vivos trust; Ann Kay Hobson Haack, individually and as trustee of the Kendall family inter vivos trust; John K. Hobson; Margaret Dodge Hobson, individually and as trustee of the Kendall family inter vivos trust (Subst. for Natchez Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.); Oliver C. Hutaff, Jr., as Trustee under Shareholders' Lawsuit Trust Agreement (Subst. for Wilmington Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc. and Kelford Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.) v. The COCA-COLA COMPANY, a Delaware corporation, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Mt. Pleasant; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Muskegeon; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Dickinson; Laredo Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc., Intervenors in D.C., The Coca-Cola Company, Appellant.

United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.

Decided February 17, 1993.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Roger N. Nanovic, Nanovic Law Offices, Jim Thorpe, PA, for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Elizabethtown, Inc.

Jesse A. Finkelstein, Richards, Layton & Finger, Wilmington, DE, and Emmet J. Bondurant II, (Argued), Jane E. Fahey, (Argued), Jeffrey D. Horst, Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore, Atlanta, GA, for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Magnolia, et al.

Richard D. Allen, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, Wilmington, DE, and Frank C. Jones (Argued), Chilton Davis Varner, Dwight J. Davis (Argued), King & Spalding, Atlanta, GA, for The Coca-Cola Bottling Company, a Delaware corp.

Before HUTCHINSON, ALITO and HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit Judges.


OPINION OF THE COURT

HUTCHINSON, Circuit Judge.

These consolidated appeals are from orders the United States District Court for the District of Delaware entered in one of three related actions1 concerning the contracts between The Coca-Cola Company (the Company) and some of its bottlers who have persisted in refusing the Company's proposed amendments to its agreements to supply the bottlers' requirements of Coca-

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