Trader Joe’s Trademark Attack on Union Tossed as Labor Ploy (1)

A union of some Trader Joe’s employees thwarted a trademark lawsuit brought by the grocer that a California federal court agreed amounted to a bid to “weaponize” the courts in a labor fight.

Trader Joe’s Co. also couldn’t have blocked sale of Trader Joe’s United merchandise in any case because federal law prohibits courts from issuing injunctions tied to a labor fight, the US District Court for the Central District of California said. The lawsuit “undoubtedly arises out of a labor dispute” given its timing “mere days” after a labor board decision against Trader Joe’s, the court said, depriving it ...