Several other state attorneys general joined Washington Attorney General Nick Brown to discuss recent lawsuits regarding mergers and monopolies.
SEATTLE — Washington Attorney General Nick Brown joined four other state attorneys general in holding a news conference Monday to push for more state resources to fight monopolies and “illegal” mergers.
Brown was joined by Oregon Attorney General Dan Layfield, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In March, a coalition of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit seeking to block the merger between Nexstar and KING 5 parent company TEGNA. The merger combines the largest and third largest television station groups in the United States and will reach 80% of American households.
Washington is not involved in the Nexstar/TEGNA lawsuit.
States argue it will lead to less competition, cut local jobs and increase cable broadcast fees. Nexstar said the merger received regulatory approval and will make local stations stronger.
Washington is currently involved several cases Involves monopolies and mergers.
In January 2024, then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit challenging the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons. The two companies are the largest grocery chains in Washington, with more than 300 supermarkets in Washington.
In December 2024, a King County judge ruled that the merger was illegal, Kroger and Albertsons’ merger Abandoned the merger.
In February 2024, Washington, along with the U.S. Department of Justice and more than two dozen other states, filed antitrust lawsuits against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, saying their strategies resulted in higher ticket prices for consumers and restricted industry competition.
April, jury found Live Nation’s monopoly on large venues is harmful.
Washington is also involved, along with the Justice Department and state attorneys general, in a 2024 lawsuit against Apple for monopolizing the smartphone market, as well as several lawsuits from 2020 to 2023 against Google for monopolizing online display advertising, search engines and app distribution services.
