TORONTO, ON – In an expected move, Labatt Breweries announced today that it has requested a rehearing of it’s legal case against Molson Coors over a lucrative sponsorship deal with the National Hockey League.
Earlier this week, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that a seven-year deal signed between Molson Coors and the NHL for North American sponsorship rights should stand, overruling a previous decision in the Ontario Superior Court that an earlier three-year deal between Labatt and the League should take precedence. However, the earlier ruling was struck down over a technicality rather than legal merit, and the new ruling indicated that Labatt was free to go forward with a new hearing in the lower court.
Charlie Angelakos, Labatt’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, says in a statement that “although the Court of Appeal determined there was a procedural error in the initial Superior Court decision, it didn’t comment on the merits of the case. We negotiated, in good faith, terms for the renewal of our sponsorship of the NHL for the 2011-2014 season and we’ll pursue our legal rights vigorously.”
In a blind taste test who would notice the difference? Doesnt the molson family own Montreal ?