MercuryGate CEO Questions Timing of J.B. Hunt Lawsuit
by August 17, 2015 12:00 am 424 views
The chief executive officer of a vendor named in a $3.08 million lawsuit brought by J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell is questioning the timing of the lawsuit.
Monica Wooden, CEO and co-founder of transportation management systems provider MercuryGate International Inc. of North Carolina, told Transport Topics that J.B. Hunt had used her company’s system for almost two years before ultimately deciding to file a lawsuit July 17 in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
“Our track record speaks for itself,” Wooden told Transport Topics, the industry weekly published by the American Trucking Associations. “We have been delivering transportation software to the logistics market for many years. We have never had a claim like this.”
In November 2012, MercuryGate was the successful bidder to replace J.B. Hunt’s Integrated Capacity Solutions, or brokerage, division’s internal systems with its transportation management software, and agreed that the work would be completed and operational by the following November, the complaint states.
In a notice of termination letter sent to Wooden June 2 and signed by Tracy Black, J.B. Hunt’s senior vice president of information technology, J.B. Hunt claims the software installed by MercuryGate is useless and demanded a refund, estimated to be $3.04 million plus other fees and expenses.
“MercuryGate has missed the due dates multiple times for numerous essential features and functionality and they still remain incomplete,” the letter said. “The lack of these features and functionality materially impacts J.B. Hunt’s use of the software, rendering it useless for all but approximately 1 percent of ICS’ business.
“J.B. Hunt has lost all confidence that MercuryGate can or will be able to provide the functionality and features it committed to provide.”
Wooden told Transport Topics she plans to discuss the case with J.B. Hunt officials, but didn’t say when a meeting might take place.
As of press time, MercuryGate has not yet responded to the lawsuit, according to court records.
J.B. Hunt is seeking a jury trial. Attorney Jeff Mitchell with Taylor Law Partners in Fayetteville is representing the company, but declined to comment on the lawsuit.