
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 29, 1995                   TAG: 9507310028
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SALISBURY, N.C.                                 LENGTH: Medium

FOOD LION FIGHTS UNION IN COURT

Food Lion has filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming a food workers' union has attacked the company to protect markets dominated by unionized supermarket chains.

The civil lawsuit, filed this week in Charlotte, makes accusations of federal racketeering-law violations against the union, its agents, a public relations firm, former employees and attorneys who have pursued cases against the company.

The lawsuit comes on the heels of another $100 million action against ABC to gain access to videotape used for a damaging ``PrimeTime Live'' segment.

``The United Food and Commercial Workers Union has recently stepped up its attacks against Food Lion,'' company spokeswoman Chris Ahearn said. ``The company has decided it can't fight this battle in the media anymore. That's why Food Lion is trying to address the [union's] behavior in a fair and impartial court of law.''

Robert Harbrandt, a union leader and a defendant in the lawsuit, said Food Lion is blaming the messenger.

``Apparently, Food Lion has chosen litigation as opposed to correction of the problems that have permeated the company for a long time,'' he said.

The lawsuit comes on the heels of a $100 million suit against ABC to gain access to videotape used for a damaging ``PrimeTime Live'' segment.

The most recent lawsuit accuses the union, its agents, a public relations firm, former employees and attorneys who have pursued cases against the company of violating federal racketeering laws.

According to the suit, the defendants arranged the filing of lawsuits to generate negative publicity, used the discovery process in such suits to obtain information for use against Food Lion, arranged the filing of claims with federal and state agencies to spur investigations of Food Lion, caused the value of Food Lion stock to fall and encouraged financial analysts and stock brokers to render adverse opinions about Food Lion.

by CNB