By Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Friday ruled in favor of U.S. Sugar Corp’s plans to buy rival Imperial Sugar Co, rejecting a U.S. Justice Department argument that the proposed deal would drive up the price of sugar for households as well as food and soda makers.
The judge said the opinion was issued under seal.
Neither the Justice Department nor U.S. Sugar immediately responded to a request for comment.
The department had said in a lawsuit filed last November that the $315 million deal would give U.S. Sugar, owner and member of a cooperative with three other companies, and American Sugar Refining, which sells under the “Domino” brand, some 75% of refined sugar sales in the U.S. Southeast.
This loss of its challenge in court was the second for the government this week.
On Monday, a different judge denied the Justice Department’s bid to stop UnitedHealth Group from buying Change Healthcare, in a blow to the U.S. administration’s tougher enforcement of antitrust issues.
(Reporting by Diane BartzEditing by Bill Berkrot)
