Stan D. Bowles Distributing Co. v. Pabst Brewing Co.

WHICHARD, Judge.

I

The facts giving rise to this action are that plaintiff and defendant Pabst entered into a written distributorship agreement on 23 January 1975. Plaintiff was a wholesale distributor for alcoholic malt beverage products. Defendant Pabst was a national brewer “engaged in the manufacture and sale of Pabst beer and Pabst ale.” The agreement granted plaintiff the right to sell “Pabst beer and ale” in the counties of Wilson, Greene, Wayne, and Lenoir. The agreement also provided that “[notwithstanding the use hereinafter of the words ‘beer and ale’ and ‘beer or ale,’ or the use of…