FedEx Subsidiary Wants to Prove Consultant Harmed Business

A FedEx Corp. subsidiary argued on Wednesday it should be allowed to pursue its claims against a consultant that it says hurt its business by inaccurately portraying its treatment of contractors.

US District Judge Aleta A. Trauger of Nashville erred last year when she dismissed FedEx Ground Package System Inc.'s complaint against Route Consultant Inc. over statements made by its owner Spencer Patton, attorney Curtis B. Krasik told a Sixth Circuit three-judge panel.

Patton publicly claimed that FedEx Ground hadn’t adjusted pay to account for the challenging economy, that contractors don’t make profits, and that the current contractor financial model ...