(Download) "Burke v. Ford" by United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Burke v. Ford
- Author : United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Release Date : January 15, 1967
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 55 KB
Description
MURRAH, Chief Judge: A group of Oklahoma liquor retailers brought this suit to enjoin an alleged market division violation of § 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1. The retailers alleged that the sixteen Oklahoma wholesalers conspired to and did in the early part of 1964 divide the Oklahoma wholesale liquor market, both territorially and according to brands. Specifically, it was alleged that the defendants conspired to unlawfully divide the wholesale market in alcoholic beverages transported in a continual flow of interstate commerce from other states into Oklahoma for resale to Oklahoma retailers and ultimately to the Oklahoma consuming public. There was also language in the complaint which could be taken as an allegation that even if the interstate movement of alcoholic beverages terminated at the wholesale warehouse, the conspiracy nevertheless adversely affected the free flow of interstate trade and commerce in the commodity. Trial was to the court. Judge Bohanon found that there had been a division of brands and territories. But, he also found that the evidence fell short of proving an unlawful conspiracy or understanding to divide those brands and territories; that the Sherman Act prerequisite involvement with interstate commerce was also lacking; that since in any event market division had admittedly ceased by the time of trial there were no acts or threatened acts to enjoin and the matter of an injunction was, therefore, moot.1 Judgment was entered for the wholesalers. We affirm on the sole ground that the proof was entirely insufficient to show that the activities complained of were in or adversely affected interstate commerce.