Section 28-7-22

Interlocking businesses and interests prohibited.

No manufacturer and no officer or director of any manufacturer shall, at the same time, be a wine wholesaler or retailer, or an officer, director or stockholder or creditor of any wine wholesaler or retailer, nor except as hereinafter provided, be the owner, proprietor or lessor of any place covered directly or indirectly by any wine wholesaler's license or wine retailer's license or other retail license authorizing the sale of wine in this state.

No wine wholesaler and no officer or director of any wine wholesaler shall at the same time be a manufacturer or wine retailer, or be an officer, director, stockholder or creditor of a manufacturer or wine retailer, or be the owner, proprietor or lessor of any place covered by any retail table wine license.

No licensee licensed under this chapter, shall directly or indirectly own any stock of, or have any financial interest in, any other class of business licensed under this chapter.

Excepting as hereinafter provided, no wine manufacturer or wholesaler shall in anywise be interested, either directly or indirectly in the ownership or leasehold of any property, or in any mortgage against the same, for which a liquor or wine retailer's license is granted; nor shall a wine manufacturer or wholesaler either directly or indirectly, lend any moneys, credit or equivalent thereof to any retailer in equipping, fitting out or maintaining and conducting, either in whole or in part, an establishment or business operated under a wine retailer's or liquor retail dispensers' license, excepting only the usual and customary credits allowed for returning packages or containers in which table wine was packed for market by the manufacturer.

Excepting as hereinafter provided, no manufacturer shall in anywise be interested, directly or indirectly, in the ownership or leasehold of any property, or any mortgage lien against the same, for which a wine wholesaler's license is granted, nor shall a manufacturer, either directly or indirectly, lend any moneys, credit or their equivalent to any wine wholesaler in equipping, fitting out, or maintaining and conducting, either in whole or in part, an establishment or business where table wines are licensed for sale by a wine wholesaler, excepting only the usual credits allowed for the return of packages or containers in which table wines were originally packed for the market by the manufacturer.

No wine wholesaler or retailer shall in anywise, either directly or indirectly, receive any credit, loan, moneys or the equivalent thereof from any other licensee, or from or through a subsidiary or affiliate of another licensee or from a firm, association, or corporation, except banking institution in which another licensee or any officer, director or firm member of another licensee has a substantial interest or exercises a control of its business policy for equipping, fitting out, payment of license fee, maintaining and conducting, either in whole or in part, an establishment or business operated under a wine wholesaler's or retailer's license, excepting only the usual and customary credits allowed for the return of packages or containers in which table wines were packed for the market by the manufacturer.

The purpose of this section is to require a separation of the financial and business interest between the various classes of business regulated by this chapter, and no person or corporation shall by any device whatsoever, directly or indirectly, evade the provisions of this section.

(Acts 1980, No. 80-382, p. 505, §22.)