KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Pilot Flying J faces another federal lawsuit, this one filed by an Alabama trucking company, as a federal fraud probe continues. The latest lawsuit, filed Friday by Montgomery, Ala.-based Eagle Motor Freight, seeks class-action status and names Pilot CEO Jimmy Haslam, Pilot president Mark Hazelwood and sales executives John Freeman and Brian Mosher personally as defendants, reported The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Haslam has denied any wrongdoing.
"The above-referenced wrongful acts violated all concepts of moral uprightness, fundamental honesty, fair play and right dealing in the general and business life of the members of society," attorneys for Eagle wrote in a complaint cited by the newspaper. "The above-referenced wrongful acts also were a consistent, regular and dominant part of the corporate culture and manner in which [Haslam and others] participated in and conducted the day-to-day business affairs of Pilot Flying J."
More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed so far stemming from the investigation into an alleged scheme by Pilot Flying J sales executives to underpay diesel fuel rebates owed to trucking company customers.
Two employees have plead guilty to conspiracy--the first to be charged following the investigation that went public with an April 15 raid on the company's Knoxville, Tenn., headquarters by FBI and IRS agents. Arnold Ralenkotter and Ashely Judd have plead guilty to federal fraud charges and agreed to testify against others.
Pilot faces three other federal lawsuits in Alabama, along with others in Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi, Illinois and Arkansas. A Georgia company has sued in Knox County Circuit Court, with at least three other Pilot customers joining that lawsuit.
Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J has more than 650 retail locations and is the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America. Its network provides customers with access to more than 60,000 parking spaces for trucks, more than 4,400 showers and more than 4,000 diesel lanes. Pilot Logistics Services is one of the largest independent energy logistics companies in North America, selling and distributing more than 1.3 billion gallons of refined petroleum products and serving more than 15,000 customers. Together, Pilot Flying J and Pilot Logistics Services generate sales of approximately nine billion gallons of petroleum annually.
Click here to see the News-Sentinel's map of locations of companies that have filed lawsuits against Pilot Flying J.
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