Hillman Wins Jury Verdict in Unfair Competition Case Against Minute Key
CINCINNATI September 12, 2016 - The Hillman Companies, Inc. (NYSE-AMEX: HLM.PR) and The Hillman Group, Inc. (collectively, “Hillman”) today announced that, on September 6, 2016, a jury in the case of The Hillman Group, Inc. v. Minute Key Inc. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (Western Division) reached a unanimous verdict in favor of Hillman. The jury found that Minute Key Inc. ("Minute Key") violated the Federal Lanham Act and Ohio's Deceptive Trade Practices Act by making a knowingly false statement to a mutual customer in order to deceive that customer and influence that customer’s purchasing decision which resulted in injury to Hillman. While the jury verdict included an award of monetary damages to Hillman, the full amount of damages and costs that will eventually be awarded to Hillman is still to be determined by the Court.
Greg Gluchowski, the Chief Executive Officer and President of Hillman, said “We are pleased that the jury ruled against Minute Key and in favor of Hillman. Hillman is very proud of the outstanding value and service that we provide, with the utmost integrity, to our customers and we will vigorously defend our rights whenever anyone challenges us in that regard.”
About Hillman
Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hillman is a leading North American provider of complete hardware solutions, delivered with industry best customer service to over 26,000 customers. Hillman designs innovative product and merchandising solutions for complex categories that deliver an outstanding customer experience to home improvement centers, mass merchants, national and regional hardware stores, pet supply stores, and OEM Industrial customers. Leveraging a world-class distribution and sales network, Hillman delivers a “small business” experience with “big business” efficiency.
For more information on the Company, please visit our website at http://www.hillmangroup.com or call Investor Relations at (513) 851-4900, ext. 60292.
