BAA vows to defend US lawsuits

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BAA has vowed to defend a lawsuit filed by US retailer and wholesaler Fairn & Swanson over claims that it breached a no-compete clause in a contract signed five years ago.
BAA is alleged to have approached retailers for business after selling Seattle-based ship chandler and cruise ship supply firm Export Inc to Fairn in 1996. According to the complainant, BAA had broken a no-compete clause after the deal was struck through its US subsidiary World Duty Free Americas.

BAA told TRW it would be defending its position. Fairn & Swanson business development director Ned Trippe said the court action was taken as a last resort.

"We have been holding discussions with World Duty Free Americas for two years. They seemed impossibly slow to agree to damages so we have decided to file a lawsuit against them," said Trippe. "We compete directly with World Duty Free in California and they had gone directly for our business."

In a separate case, BAA has confirmed it is pressing for recovery of debts from Duty Free Air and Ship Supply (DFASS) which, in turn, has counter-sued. In a lawsuit filed in the US, BAA claims it is owed around $400,000 over products bought by DFASS from BAA's now-defunct subsidiary World Duty Free Inflight. BAA declined to comment on a $2m counter action by DFASS, which claims that WDFI had delayed supplies, approached its clients for business and, in turn, damaged DFASS.