PepsiCo, Marion bottler settle suit

MARION, Ill. -- PepsiCo North America and an independent bottler in this southern Illinois city have settled the two federal lawsuits the companies filed against each other, both sides said Thursday.

Neither side will disclose the terms of the deal.

"We can now get back to focusing on exclusively on what really matters -- serving our customers," said Harry L. Crisp, whose family has bottled Pepsi in southern Illinois since 1935.

The Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo filed a lawsuit in June 1999 seeking to cancel its contract with the independent bottler, claiming it failed to meet quality standards. The Crisp family filed a countersuit alleging the corporation was unfairly targeting its independent bottlers to consolidate its operations under company-owned entities.