Some 24 claims against the trucking company to go forward, while more than a dozen are dismissed by U.S. District Judge.
U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar, on Wednesday, dismissed seven of 11 civil claims against Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J, and allowed four others to proceed, including accusations of unjust enrichment and conspiracy to commit fraud, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. In addition the judge allowed several claims against Pilot Flying J to go forward while dismissing other.
Haslam has not been charged with any crime.
The trucking companies allege that they were cheated out of fuel rebates and discounts promised by Pilot Flying J. Pilot, last year, agreed to pay nearly $85 million to 5,500 customers as part of the settlement. The trucking companies involved in Wednesday’s ruling were those that opted out of the settlement in order to pursue their own lawsuits.
The judge on Wednesday allowed two-dozen counts by the trucking companies to proceed against Pilot, including claims of breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation. Thapar also granted Pilot’s motion to dismiss more than a dozen other counts.
Ten former employees have pleaded guilty to some form of wire or mail fraud since federal agents raided Pilot’s headquarters in April 2013. Pilot agreed to pay $92 million in fines and accept responsibility for the criminal conduct of its employees while the government agreed not to prosecute the company.
