Southern Glazer’s Missouri lawsuit dismissed after seven years
A lawsuit alleging that Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits had entered into a franchise deal with Jägermeister in Missouri has been dismissed after seven years.
Major Brands as it was known as the time (now owned by Breakthru Beverage Group) filed legal action against Mast-Jägermeister for allegedly violating Missouri’s franchise law by moving its business to Southern Glazer’s in 2018 as part of a five-year nationwide distribution deal.
Major Brands began distributing Jägermeister in Missouri in the 1970s until 2018 when the herbal liqueur brand ended the deal. There was no written contract between Major Brands and Mast-Jägermeister during the decades-long distribution deal.
However, Major Brands sued for wrongful termination, arguing at the time that such a move is only legal after a ‘good cause’ of contract termination has been established.
In 2021, Mast-Jägermeister was found guilty of violating its contract with Major Brands, with a jury in Missouri awarding US$11.75 million in damages to Major Brands.
However, in November 2024, this verdict was overturned in the US Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit, when the case was remanded, and Mast-Jägermeister was no longer required to pay the multi-million-dollar fine.
In a new update on 12 May 2025, Southern Glazer’s noted that the lawsuit had come to a ‘successful resolution’.
Since the start of the lawsuit, the US’ biggest alcohol distributor said it had “stood by its position that there was no such franchise relationship, and that its actions were entirely lawful”.
The statement continued: “After Southern Glazer’s and Jägermeister won an appellate victory, Breakthru elected to dismiss the case with prejudice, ending the litigation after nearly eight years. Importantly, there was no settlement payment by either Southern Glazer’s or Jägermeister in connection with the dismissal.”
Alan Greenspan, chief legal and compliance officer, Southern Glazer’s, said the company was “very satisfied with the appellate court’s decision and the subsequent dismissal of the case”.
He continued: “It validates what we’ve said from day one – that Jägermeister didn’t have a franchise relationship with Major Brands and that our contact with them was appropriate and legal.”
Breakthru Beverage Group said it had no comment regarding the litigation.
The Spirits Business has also approached Mast-Jägermeister for comment.
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