French crystal maker Baccarat is having a tough time dissolving its marriage with Ross-Simons, a retailer located in Rhode Island (US) that sells most of its goods at discount prices, including Baccarat crystal. According to a press report, Baccarat is trying to get out of a 1992 agreement that ended an antitrust suit filed by Ross-Simons in the US District Court in Providence. Ross-Simons says Baccarat does not want to be associated with a discount retailer and so Ross-Simons has filed a lawsuit to enforce the agreement. Chief Judge R L Lagueux refused to decide the case without a trial. He denied Baccarat's motion for summary judgement, saying the facts surrounding the agreement are in dispute. He did, however, dismiss some of Ross-Simon's damage claims. Baccarat announced net losses of FFr7.4m for the first half of 1998 (FFr7.7m).
