Court rules again for Brown Jordan against Dale Boles

Staff -- Casual Living, 6/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

A U.S. District Court judge in the Los Angeles area ruled in favor of Brown Jordan International in early May, finding former employee Dale Boles in civil contempt of a previous court order and extending the time Boles is prevented from competing with BJI in casual furniture.

"The current dispute involved commercial activities by Boles that Brown Jordan believed were in violation of the non-competition agreements," said Chris Carmicle, president of BJI national accounts and direct imports.

Boles, president/CEO of Pacific Casual, co-founder of Casual Living Worldwide and a former president of BJI's mass market division, said he cannot and will not be able to say anything until April 16, 2007.

His covenants not to compete with or solicit BJI customers were extended to April 15, 2007, according to court records.

Those records show Brown Jordan presented evidence of e-mails between Boles, his staff and seven outdoor furniture retailers discussing his plans to present a line of outdoor furniture for the 2007 season. The retailers, longtime customers of Brown Jordan, were covered by a non-solicitation clause in a May 2001 stock purchase agreement. They included Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Menards Hardware, Costco, Sears and Kmart.