Pulp Mill’s Suit Creates Paperwork Overwhelmed Legal Staff Turns To Copy Shop For Assistance

In perhaps the largest civil case to come before a local court, a Potlatch Corp. lawsuit has generated so much paperwork a downtown copying business hired extra hands for the load.

“We have three to four to five more people working just for this,” said Norm Spencer, owner of Norbon’s Copy Cabin. In the past week, the extra staff has been working nearly 20-hour days copying thousands of legal documents.

Jury selection in the trial begins April 7.

Potlatch filed the $130 million suit in 1995 against Beloit Corp. of Beloit, Wis. Potlatch claims Beloit sold the wood products company defective washers as part of a modernization Potlatch went through in its pulp mill a few years ago.

Potlatch claims it started using the washers in July 1992 and worked with Beloit until January 1995 to correct deficiencies.

Potlatch then gave up and asked for replacement washers equivalent to those made and sold by Beloit. The two companies could not agree and Potlatch filed suit.

“In over 20 years, I have never personally seen a bigger suit in this town,” attorney Danny Radakovich said.

The Nez Perce County Courthouse is getting ready. Crews have installed about 20 extra electrical outlets in Courtroom 1 to handle the equipment such as video monitors. Beloit and Potlatch are paying for the electrical upgrade.

The names of five law firms, two from Lewiston, one from Chicago, one from New York and one from California, are included in the files.