Parts supplier sues State Farm plaintiff

Citing loss of profits, Collision Parts Network asks California court to declare State Farm ruling invalid

Collision Parts Network Inc. (CPN), a Fresno, Calif. distributor of non-OEM parts, is suing one of the key plaintiffs in the landmark $1.2 billion State Farm case because the company's generic parts sales have dropped by more than 50 percent since the October 1999 ruling in the class action lawsuit.

The CPN suit, filed July 27 against Michael Avery, challenges the ability of a judgment in Illinois to influence California law."Illinois law should not control what happens in other states," says Ronald Katz, CPN's attorney and the antitrust and intellectual property …