MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) – The owner of Wisconsin's Minhas Craft Brewery alleges that it was damaged by lost export sales to Canada because of an agreement signed by Molson Coors and Anheuser-Busch.
Mountain Crest SRL LLC filed a complaint on Aug. 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin against Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and Molson Coors Brewing Co. citing the Sherman Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that the defendants conspired to limit exports to the Province of Ontario by signing an agreement that their only retail competitor in Ontario would not sell beer in packages containing more than six containers. The plaintiff alleges that because of this, it could not sell 12 or 24 packs unless it paid to use defendants' own stores.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks declare that the defendants have violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, enjoin the defendants, $200,000 in punitive damages, interest, all legal fees and any other relief as the court deems just. It is represented by Charles Benoit of Charles Benoit in Washington, D.C.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin case number 3:17-cv-00595-slc