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The lawsuit names five plaintiffs who are or were co-op members at the time of the boycott: Kent and Linda Davis, Jeffrey and Susan Trinin, and Susan Mayer. Sixteen past and present board members are named as defendants.
The suit states that the co-op’s rules require the board to make decisions by consensus, and that not all members had agreed to the boycott. It also claims that the proposed boycott was not “nationally recognized.”
The co-op’s policy allows it to “honor nationally recognized boycotts which are called for reasons that are compatible with (OFC’s) goals and mission statement,” the suit states. No other U.S. food co-op has adopted a similar boycott, it states.
Israeli products removed from the Olympia stores include gluten-free crackers, ice cream cones and a moisturizing cream, according to a former board member. Board member T.J. Johnson, who is named as a defendant in the suit, said Wednesday that he could not comment on the lawsuit because he has not seen it. An employee said Wednesday that the co-op’s staff board representative was unavailable for comment.
The suit, filed Friday in Thurston County Superior Court by Seattle attorneys Robert Sulkin and Avi J. Lipman, is aimed at nullifying the boycott and ordering “the OFC board to follow OFC’s governing rules, procedures and principles in the future.”
The suit additionally seeks unspecified damages. Sulkin said in an interview Wednesday that the lawsuit seeks only to “make sure the process that is followed is fair.” He added that if the co-op follows its policies and reaches true consensus on the issue of boycotting Israeli goods, his clients will accept that.
“Our goal is to bring people together at the end of the day,” he added.
A website created in favor of boycotting Israeli goods states that boycotts are a way to pressure the Israeli government to stop abusing Palestinians’ human rights.
“Israel destroys Palestinian lives, livelihoods and homes daily, refuses to stop building its illegal settlements and apartheid wall on stolen land …” reads a message on the site, operated by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5465
jpawloski@theolympian.com
