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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Interloper Backs Out of Suit Over Tainted Rice

DALLAS (CN) - A commodities exporter has dropped its lawsuit against a Houston law firm suing Bayer Cropscience over contaminated genetically modified rice.

JMG International Distributors, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., had allegedly entered into a 2006 joint venture to receive long-grain white rice for import and sale in the Haitian market.

It says that one of its partners, Phoenix Advisors Ltd., terminated the joint venture shortly after the first shipment because of "genetically modified rice contamination."

Shortly thereafter, Phoenix Advisors allegedly hired Looper Reed & McGraw to sue Bayer Cropscience and others allegedly responsible for the contamination.

Phoenix Advisors allegedly filed that complaint in 2008 in Wharton County Court. JMG says the suit purported to represent the interests of Phoenix Advisors and "the joint venture between it, JMG International Distributors Inc. and E. Harold Gassenheimer."

In July 2012, JMG sued Phoenix Advisors, Looper Reed, and the two other partners in the joint venture, E. Harold Gassenheim and Stefan Suess, to compel arbitration.

The petition in Dallas County Court sought declaratory relief regarding JMG's share of recovery in the suit and its share of expenses or attorneys' fees.

It filed a motion to dismiss without prejudice on Nov. 9.

"Plaintiff does not desire to prosecute this matter further at this time," according to the motion authored by Arlington attorney M. Kevin Queenan.

Judge Eric Moye granted the motion three days later. JMG could still refile since Moye dismissed the case without prejudice.

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