Olympia Food Co-Op: Court Dismisses anti-Boycott Lawsuit
/Updated March 12, 2018
Credit: Jason Taellious
In September 2011, far-right Israel advocacy group StandWithUs initiated a lawsuit against Olympia Food Co-op board members after the board voted to boycott Israeli goods. The plaintiffs, Israel supporters who were co-op board members, claimed that the board breached its fiduciary duty by not following correct procedures for such votes. The lawsuit sought to prevent the enforcement of the co-op's boycott policy and to collect damages.
On March 9, 2018, the court ended the seven-year old lawsuit, agreeing that the plaintiffs had failed to show any injury to the Co-op because of the boycott.
Palestine Legal filed an amicus brief in 2014 with a number of organizations highlighting the role of StandWithUs, which receives funds from the Israeli government, and the role of the Israeli government itself, in stifling speech supporting Palestinian rights. The amicus situates the Olympia lawsuit as part of those larger efforts.
Documents later produced by the plaintiffs reveal that the suit’s purpose was indeed to chill other boycotts.
Olympia Food Co-op is represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and co-counsel.
For more information and relevant documents, see:
- CCR’s case page
- Palestine Legal’s amicus brief