STATE:

Why NFIB

Take Action

Get Support

Stay Informed

Podcast Podcast

Careers Careers

Join Now

Home / News /

NFIB Legal Center Files Brief in Oregon Case

December 22, 2023

NFIB Legal Center Files Brief in Oregon Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SALEM, Ore. (Dec. 22, 2023) – NFIB joined a business coalition amicus brief in the case Bohr v. Tillamook County Creamery Association at the Oregon Supreme Court. The case concerns the reliance requirement and tort liability for misrepresentation claims under Oregon’s consumer protection laws. “Small businesses are easy targets for frivolous and costly lawsuits,” said Anthony K. Smith, NFIB Oregon State Director. “If the Court adopts the Petitioners’ theory, the outcome will result in an unwarranted expansion of tort liability for all small businesses in Oregon. We ask the Court to affirm the Court of Appeals’ decision and protect small businesses.” “Individual reliance has long been required for consumer fraud and misrepresentation claims,” said Beth Milito, Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center. “This Court has previously held that individual reliance is a fundamental element of such claims and should continue to do so, affirming the decision below.” NFIB’s brief argued three main points: 1) Petitioners must plead and prove individual reliance to establish liability, 2) recovery based on inflated prices alone is not permissible in the consumer retail market context, and 3) eliminating reliance or imposing liability based on inflated prices alone for consumer fraud or misrepresentation claims will harm businesses and consumers. NFIB filed the amicus brief with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Consumer Brands Association, Food Northwest, National Retail Federation, Oregon Business & Industry, and Retail Litigation Center. The NFIB Small Business Legal Center protects the rights of small business owners in the nation’s courts. NFIB is currently active in more than 40 cases in federal and state courts across the country and in the U.S. Supreme Court. ### For 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

Topics:

Legal

State:

Oregon

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Learn More

June 11, 2026

Small Businesses Praise Passage of Litigation Financing Transparency Bill

House Bill 105 now heads to the Governor’s Desk.

Line graph of NFIB Uncertainty Index over time, showing monthly and quarterly values from about 40 to 110 with an average near 68.

June 9, 2026

Small Business Optimism Index Dips Below Historic Average

Oregon voters showed great prescience in rejecting Measure 120 last month

June 4, 2026

Local Comment on Latest NFIB Jobs Report

Oregon voters’ rejection of Measure 120 could pave way for improved future reports

June 4, 2026

SCOTUS Decision Upholds Unfair FCC Enforcement Procedures

NFIB is disappointed in today’s decision from the United States Supreme Court concluding that the FCC’s enforcement and forfeiture proceedings do not violate t…

NFIB Legal Center Files Brief in Oregon Case

Related Articles