A messy and high-profile lawsuit against Tulip Valley Farms and its founder Andrew Miller was dismissed Aug. 12.
The lawsuit was filed in March 2023 by Miller’s former friends and business colleagues who operate Tulip Town, across the street from Tulip Valley Farms. As part of the legal actions, the group sought a temporary restraining order against Miller and his new business to prevent it from opening in time for the 2023 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
That effort failed to prevent the new tulip farm from opening on time.
More than a year later, Tulip Town filed a motion in Skagit County Superior Court for the entire lawsuit to be dismissed. The court granted the motion, dismissing the suit without prejudice, which means that it can be refiled.
At least four attempts to go to mediation and resolve the legal dispute failed to bring the two parties to the table before the case was dismissed. Court documents and interviews reveal both parties wanted compensation for alleged damages.
“While I’m excited that they decided that there wasn’t an angle they wanted to continue to pursue, I don’t feel the same way,” Miller said.
Spinach Bus Ventures was formed by Miller and four other Skagit County friends to purchase Tulip Town in 2019. Miller was made CEO of the fledgling company but removed from the position and then voted out of the company in 2022.
Founding Spinach Bus Venture partner Rachael Sparwasser, interim CEO and managing partner as of April 21, did not respond to a Cascadia Daily News request for comment.
Tulip Town alleged in court documents that Miller breached his contract, misrepresented himself to suppliers, breached his fiduciary duties and failed to act in good faith, among other claims.
The legal battle between the two Skagit tulip farms might not be over. Miller said he is considering a counter-lawsuit.
“I’m not sure that we’re done,” Miller said.
Miller has accused Tulip Town of cybersquatting, scooping up Tulip Valley Farm-related URLs after the business was registered and redirecting it to their website. (That is no longer the case.) He said that it caused a “considerable amount of confusion” for customers searching for Tulip Valley Farms.
When asked about cybersquatting in an April interview, Sparwasser said: “I do believe that they have sent some correspondence potentially to our legal counsel regarding that. But that’s not something that they’ve alleged in their court filings that I can recall.”
Miller also said there were potential legal issues tied to the allegations made against him and his business.
“The first time you hear about a new business, and it’s untrue and it’s unflattering, that can have long-term effects on your business,” Miller said. “We’re currently reviewing next steps as far as exercising our rights.”
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
