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Subject to the provisions of this Settlement Agreement, FLYING J, TCH, CFJ,
TON SERVICES, and TFJ, on behalf of themselves and each of their affiliates,
hereby forever release, discharge and acquit COMDATA, TRENDAR,
CERIDIAN, and ARBITRON, and each of them, together (as applicable) with
each of their successors, assigns, parent corporations, subsidiaries, affiliates,
partners, and joint venturers, and each of its or their respective present or former
officers, directors, employees, agents, servants, shareholders, attorneys, experts,
consultants, insurers, and representatives from any and all rights, claims,
obligations, liabilities, causes of action, costs, damages, losses, expenses,
compensation, and demands of every kind and nature, whether known or
unknown, that are based in whole or in part on any conduct occurring on or
before the Effective Date [of May 21, 2001] including but not limited to conduct
that relates in any way to i. all claims that have been asserted or could have been
asserted in any respect whatsoever in the Utah Lawsuit . . . . v. any and all claims
arising out of the relationship between FLYING J, TCH, CFJ, TON SERVICES,
and TFJ, on the one hand, and COMDATA, TRENDAR, CERIDIAN and
ARBITRON, on the other hand through the Effective Date.
(Settlement Agreement & Release ¶ 5.1 (emphasis added).) The court interprets the language
“and each of their affiliates” to include Transportation Alliance Bank Inc. (TAB), even though
TAB was not actually listed in the release. (Indeed, no party argues that TAB is not subject to
the release language.) Accordingly, the fact that the Settlement Agreement only lists three of the
four Plaintiffs is not material, and the language of the release should be read to apply to all of the
Flying J Plaintiffs.
While the language of the release is very broad, the court agrees with Flying J that it
cannot be read to release claims that did not arise as of May 21, 2001, and that are based on post-
settlement conduct. (See Settlement Agreement § 5.5 (“Release of Unknown Claims”)
(containing language agreeing that a “general release does not extend to claims which the [party]
does not know or suspect to exist in his favor at the time of executing the release.”). Moreover,
such a prospective release of antitrust claims would be void as against public policy. See, e.g.,
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. v. Soler Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc., 473 U.S. 614, 637 n.19 (1985)
Case 1:06-cv-00030-TC Document 456 Filed 11/14/08 Page 7 of 23