In the latest twist in the Pilot Flying J rebate fraud case, a Knoxville judge on Monday dismissed a motion that tried to prevent Pilot Flying J CEO Jimmy Haslam from contacting trucking companies that may have been victimized in the alleged rebate scheme.

No sooner had Haslam said, last week, that he wanted to work with customers who may have been wronged, when an attorney representing Georgia-based Atlantic Coast Carriers Inc. stepped forward to block those attempts.

That company has filed a proposed class action lawsuit over the alleged rebate scandal. The company has not yet been awarded class action status.

Atlantic Coast Carriers had sought a restraining order barring Haslam and Pilot executives from contacting other trucking firms, suggesting Haslam’s actions “may constitute an improper attempt to coerce parties and witnesses under Tennessee law.”

Various published reports say the Knoxville Circuit Court Judge who heard the motion, Harold Wimberly, ruled the [lawyers representing Atlantic Coast Carrier] needed to produce an affidavit of complaint from a trucking company contacted by Haslam.

A story on Knoxvillebiz.com quotes Judge Wimbley as saying, “There is no verified complaint. There is no affidavit.”

The judge ruled that Haslam may continue reaching out to carriers that might have been victimized by a rebate fraud scheme.

Read the full story here.