By Rachel Lippmann, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Opponents of a merger between Anheuser-Busch and Belgian brewer InBev have filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the proposal.
The merger would create the world's largest brewer.
San Francisco-based lawyer Joseph Alioto filed the complaint Wednesday on behalf of ten individuals who purchase Anheuser products. The complaint says they will be hurt by price increases caused by reduced competition.
"Any foreigner can come in and compete," Alioto said. "But in our country, competition, not combination, is the rule of trade."
The complaint argued InBev's willingness to pay $52 billion for Anheuser Busch proves InBev can afford to come into the American beer market on its own.
In a statement, Anheuser-Busch called the complaint "without merit."
InBev shareholders will vote on the proposed merger on August 29th. No date has been set for A-B shareholders to do the same