U.S. District Judge Denies U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition Lawsuit Against Brazilian Plywood Manufacturers

In the Southern District of Florida, U.S. District Court Judge Roy K. Altman has ruled against the U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition, a collection of 10 different American plywood companies, in their lawsuit against PFS Corporation etal. Which comprise “PFS-TECO”, Timber Products Inspection, Inc. (“Timber Products”), and International Accreditation Service, Inc. (“IAS”). The dispute centers around a stamp—the PS 1-09 stamp—that all structural-grade plywood must bear in order to be used as building material in the United States. The Plaintiffs alleged that these mills are incapable of producing PS 1-09-compliant plywood. Despite this, the Plaintiffs say, the Defendants continue to certify the Brazilian plywood as meeting the PS 1-09 grade. The Defendants do this, the Plaintiffs allege, by failing to require their Brazilian clients to comply with the PS 1-09 standards. And, the Plaintiffs add, by knowingly certifying faulty plywood as PS 1-09-compliant, the Defendants have facilitated the widespread dissemination of defective structural plywood throughout the United States, all in violation of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1127. As relief, the Plaintiffs ask the Court (1) to order the Defendants to revoke the Brazilian mills’ PS 1-09 certifications and (2) to enjoin the Defendants from issuing any new PS 1-09 certifications to these Brazilian plywood mills until this case is resolved on the merits.

In his ruling Judge Altman said that this the Court will not do. And the Court DENIES the Plaintiffs’ Motion. Full details of the ruling can be found in the entire article posted within.