Dispute over missing lobster boils over into court

A California seafood company says it was shellshocked to learn the ten tons of cooked and raw Maine lobster it had ordered was stolen after it left an Everett warehouse and is now suing the trucking company it says shares the blame for the homerus heist.

In a lawsuit filed this week in US District Court in Boston, Maxfield Seafood of City of Industry, CA, charges that Seneca Logistics Group of Tiffin, OH failed to properly vet the driver who was supposed to drive a truckload of clawless lobsters from the Everett freezer facility to the West Coast on Dec. 15.

According to Maxfield's lobster tale, the driver, in the employ of a third-party trucking company Seneca hired, picked up the lobster in Everett on Dec. 15. Five days later, Seneca called Maxfield to report the truck - and driver - had disappeared.

In the suit, Maxfield alleges Seneca failed to properly check either the subcontracting company's or the driver's background:

Upon information and belief, Seneca made no efforts to vet Mr. Perez or Rapid's background or credentials, or otherwise ensure the Lobster would be transported as promised by Seneca to Maxfield.

Maxfield is seeking the $318,000 it claims it lost when the lobster disappeared, along with interest, penalties, and legal fees.