Sessions Tank Liners, Inc. Dba Southwest Tank Liners, Inc. v. Joor Manufacturing, Inc.

SNEED, Circuit Judge:

Joor Manufacturing (Joor) successfully sought to have the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) amend its influential model fire code in a manner disadvantageous to Sessions Tank Liners, Inc. (Sessions), a competitor. Sessions sued Joor for violating the Sherman Act. The district court granted the defendant summary judgment, ruling that the Noerr-Pennington doctrine exempted Joor’s conduct from antitrust liability. Sessions appeals.

We conclude that legitimate efforts to influence or lobby private, model code associations are protected by the Noerr-Pennington doctrine.…