Can It Get Uglier in 2018 for One of America’s Largest Wine Companies?
“The multitude of violations found during the course of these investigations is truly staggering”
This is the description of the corruption exhibited by Southern-Glazer’s, uncovered by the New York State Liquor Authority and that led it to issue a $3.5 million fine on the largest wine wholesalers in the United States.
Incidentally, this fine levied upon Southern-Glazers for violating a host of NY laws comes in the wake of Southern-Glazer’s being fined $5 million earlier in 2017 by the state of Pennsylvania for violating similar laws in that state.
Earlier in the year, Southern-Glazer’s faced the filing of a class action lawsuit charging more illegal activity. The case is under litigation in California now.
Then, there is this sex discrimination lawsuit filed against Southern-Glazer’s earlier this year.
Finally, there is the $30 million lawsuit filed in Arkansas against Southern-Glazer’s by a former Southern-Glazers VP of National Accounts who charges that he was fired for bringing to light illegal practices by the giant wholesaler. According to the lawsuit, the former Southern-Glazer’s employee was fired for bringing to light “numerous illegal pricing practices that favored individual retailers, violated anti-kickback and commercial bribery laws and violated federal antitrust laws.”
It’s quite a record. One wonders what we can expect in 2018?
The courts are still cleaning up the mess left by the 21st Amendment in 1933 when government gave Prohibition bootleggers state mandated sales and distribution monopolies!
Shoot, this just the cost of doing business for these guys. Chump change!
I am going to now go on the unfounded assumption that the fellow who ripped into you for not understanding how great wholesalers are works for Southern-Glazers.
But retailers are the problem 🙂