The Albertsons logo is displayed in front of an Albertsons grocery store on October 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
This story originally appeared in the Oregon Capital Chronicle .
Judges in Oregon and Washington on Tuesday blocked supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons from merging, throwing into question the future of the largest proposed grocery merger in U.S. history.
U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson in Portland temporarily halted the merger, writing in her 71-page ruling in a lawsuit against the plan that it would lead to undue market concentration, reduce competition and hurt customers. Her preliminary injunction pauses the $24.6 billion proposed merger while the Federal Trade Commission’s administrative judge continues its review of implications.
King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson in Seattle also ruled that the merger could not move forward in Washington in a separate state case, saying that the proposed merger violated state antitrust laws. Another state lawsuit is pending in Colorado.