Florida Distributor Challenges Roof Tile Importer’s Practices

Miami-based Cevil International and Mediterranean Tile arranged a protest of Servifast and La Escandella America LLC’s clay roof tile importation methods

Miami-based Cevil International and Mediterranean Tile arranged a protest of Servifast and La Escandella America LLC’s clay roof tile importation methods last month at the importer’s Miami office. It aimed to call attention to alleged misrepresentations and improper marketing campaigns by La Escandella America and its foreign subsidiaries, especially failure to honor product exclusivity contracts with local roof tile distributors.

Cevil and Mediterranean have asserted in filings that Servifast and La Escandella America used local companies to build product awareness, but subsequently violated exclusivity terms by conspiring to use other businesses to import their tile and roofing products and offering identical exclusivity agreements. The protest was also staged to warn potential customers that tile procured through unauthorized channels may be subject to removal orders and/or fines, since its distribution is being made without code-mandated Notice Of Acceptance. Statutes in all Florida counties hold that roof tile can only be distributed pursuant to the rigorous approval standards under Miami-Dade County Building Code Compliance Office guidelines, Cevil officials contend. As such, tile sold under the circumstances they allege may not be lawfully installed.