Cajun Injector’s creator considers appeal

• By JOE GYAN JR.
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jun 8, 2009

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Bruce Foods Corp., of New Iberia, made mouthwatering headlines in May 2003 when it bought the Clinton-based Cajun Injector marinade company.

But the relationship soured in short order and both sides wound up in a Baton Rouge court in October 2005.

Chef and Cajun Injector Chief Executive Officer Maurice “Reece’’ Williams,  who had agreed to remain with the company as a consultant, claimed in a state court lawsuit he was fraudulently induced to sell the line of marinades that are injected into meat, seafood and poultry with a large syringe.

Chef Reece Williams & Co. LLC sought up to $24 million in damages from Bruce Foods.

An East Baton Rouge Parish jury rejected Williams’ fraud allegations last month and instead awarded Bruce Foods more than $1 million in damages and attorneys’ fees on its breach of contract counterclaim.

“It’s quite a turnaround,’’ Phil Franco, an attorney with the New Orleans law firm of Adams and Reese and lead trial counsel for Bruce Foods, said last week. “Obviously it was a pretty substantial victory.’’

Covington lawyer Joseph Ward Jr., who represents Williams, said the legal battle is far from over.

Ward declined to talk specifically about the case last week but said an appeal is likely.

“I didn’t see any basis for appeal on his behalf,’’ Franco said.

State District Judge Kay Bates, who presided over the five-day trial, is scheduled to hold a hearing later this month on a defense motion that Williams not be held individually liable for the breach of contract damages.

Franco contends Williams was a party to the 2003 purchase agreement and signed it, so he should be held individually responsible for the breach of contract damages.

The lawsuit alleged that Bruce Foods President J.S. “Si’’ Brown III promised to spend $1 million a year on advertising and grow the Cajun Injector brand by 20 percent each year, but the jury said the allegation was not proven.

The jury, however, found that Cajun Injector breached the asset purchase agreement by failing to deliver the Cajun Injector recipes to Bruce Foods. For that breach, the jury awarded Bruce Foods more than $341,000 in damages.