A federal judge in New Jersey has declined to dismiss a putative class action against the Snyder-Lance snack food company alleging that it wrongfully terminated independent distributors' franchise rights.

In an order dated Aug. 25, U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, sitting in Newark, declined to dismiss the lawsuit, Scheuer v. S-L Distribution.

The lead plaintiff is Jonathan Scheuer, who had been a distributor of Snyder snacks from October 2008 to November 2012, when, after the merger that created Snyder-Lance, the agreement was suddenly ended, according to the order.