Izzo's Sues Rouses

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The suit, which was filed April 6 in 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish, says the developers of Juban Crossing in Denham Springs, the Long Farm in Baton Rouge, and Berryland Development in Tangipahoa Parish—all of which have Rouses Supermarkets either newly open or under construction—were “pressured, coerced, and induced by the Rouse Group to systematically target Izzo’s and its partners for discrimination and exclusion with the intent to economically damage and destroy Izzo’s and its partners.” The suit alleges the actions were in retaliation for a 2012 incident involving an Izzo’s restaurant manager, who was fired from his position and went to work in the burrito bar of a Rouses Supermarket in Lafayette, taking an Izzo’s proprietary recipe book with him. A suit filed by Izzo’s in 2012 alleges the Lafayette Rouses used those recipes at its burrito bar. According to court documents, Izzo’s won a court order to go into the supermarket and retrieve the recipe book. “At that point, Izzo’s believed its conflict with Rouse’s was concluded,” a written statement released today by Izzo’s says. “However, Izzo’s recently discovered that Rouse’s has been coercing property owners and developers to exclude Izzo’s from opening new restaurants throughout various parishes in Louisiana.”

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