Judge orders mediation in SweeTango apple lawsuit

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge has dismissed most of the claims in a lawsuit apple growers filed against the University of Minnesota and ordered them into mediation to resolve a dispute over licensing rights to the new SweeTango apple.

The University of Minnesota developed the SweeTango apple as the successor to the popular Honeycrisp apple, which also came from the university. SweeTango was officially released in 2009, but the university and its partners only licensed certain orchards to grow it.

Other apple growers sued last fall, saying they also should be allowed to buy licenses and grow SweeTango.

Hennepin County District Judge Lloyd Zimmerman ordered the two sides Friday to select a mediator within 60 days to help resolve the remaining claims in the lawsuit.