Springs to appeal jury verdict

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 3/7/2003 2:52:00 PM

Austin, TX — Springs' Window Fashions division last week said it would file an appeal to a Texas civil court judgment awarding $7.3 million to The Blind Maker Inc. for commercial fraud.

The verdict was handed up by a Travis County District Court jury after a three-week trial and included a $2 million offset against the plaintiff for failing to make required payments for inventory and equipment while it was part of Springs' Preferred Fabricator Program. The Blind Maker had been selling Springs' products, in particular, Graber window fashions, since 1983 and was its largest fabricator and distributor, buying as much as $19 million in goods from the company, according to the complaint.