8th Circuit affirms dismissal of suit brought by Shell-branded station operator
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed a district court’s dismissal of a Shell-branded station operator dispute where plaintiffs sought more than $28 million in damages. David Harris, Dawn Johnson and Abby Risner of Greensfelder represented Shell Oil Company and Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US in the case and the appeal. In Sentis Group Inc. et al. v. Shell Oil Co., the plaintiffs sued Shell and Equilon related to their operation of 29 Kansas City area Shell-branded stations as Multi-Site Operators. The plaintiffs alleged fraud and breach of contract claims related to alleged misrepresentations.
Pending since 2005, the district court dismissed the case in Shell’s favor in 2012, granting a motion for sanctions because of the plaintiffs’ failure to preserve information. The plaintiffs appealed the dismissal. In April 2014, the parties argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit regarding the district court’s dismissal of the case.