Crehan's beer tie battle returns to court

The long-running beer tie dispute between Bernard Crehan and Inntrepreneur took yet another turn when the ex-licensee returned to court to challenge a judge's recent ruling against him.

Crehan, whose case stems from the time he ran two Inntrepreneur pubs in Berkshire back in the early 1990s, claims the company's beer tie distorted competition contrary to article 81 of the Treaty of Rome.

The former landlord of the Phoenix and the Cock Inn at Staines is now asking appeal court judges to overturn last year's ruling by Mr Justice Park, who dismissed Crehan's claims on the basis of "complex and difficult issues of EC law at a high level".

But at the same time the judge accepted that conditions of the beer tie imposed by Inntrepreneur had caused the failure of the two businesses.

Crehan claims the tie contracted him to buy beer from Courage at prices which exceeded those paid by other licensees in the area.

Although the judge backed his claims that the beer tie caused the failure of the business, he said Crehan had failed to satisfy the criteria necessary to show a breach of Article 81.

The hearing is the latest in a ten-year legal battle between the two parties which is being closely watched by the licensed trade throughout the country.

If Crehan is ultimately successful it could open the floodgates for scores of other damages claims from licensees.

The hearing is expected to last up to seven days, after which a judgement will be reserved and given in writing at a later date.