Bingham Hill prevails in cheese suit

FORT COLLINS – A Larimer County District Court judge on Thursday awarded Bingham Hill Cheese Co. $550,000 in damages in a lawsuit filed against Morning Fresh Cheese Co. in Bellvue for stealing trade secrets.

Judge John-David Sullivan heard the case between the two cheese companies in March and released his decision after two months of deliberation. Sullivan found that Morning Fresh Cheese Co., a spinoff of Morning Fresh Dairy, had hired Brad LaRocco, the former cheese maker at Bingham Hill, with the intention of making and selling Bingham Hill’s award-winning cheeses. LaRocco had signed an agreement while at Bingham Hill stating…