Zeller sues F-M for alleged bribery

Zeller Corp., a small Ohiobased drivetrain component manufacturer, files suit in U.S. District Court in Toledo against Federal-Mogul Corp. alleging commercial bribery and price discrimination. Zeller is asking for $23.9 million in damages. Zeller claims Federal-Mogul required a $400,000 "signing bonus" when negotiating a 1994 contract. When the smaller company refused to pay, Federal-Mogul stopped buying Zeller products, says Zeller. Federal-Mogul has refused comment on the case. In other legal news, the U.S. District Court in Kalamazoo, MI, granted Gentex Corp.'s motion to invalidate two Donnelly Corp. patents on rearview mirrors with light assemblies, because the later sold the mirrors for more than a year before filing for the patents.