DOJ Challenges Halliburton-Baker Hughes Deal
April 06 2016 - 11:00AM
Dow Jones News
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department Wednesday filed an antitrust
lawsuit challenging Halliburton Co.'s planned acquisition of rival
Baker Hughes Inc., alleging that the deal would threaten higher
prices and reduced innovation in the oil-field services
industry.
The lawsuit, filed in a Delaware federal court, asserts that the
transaction would eliminate important head-to-head competition in
markets for 23 products and services used for U.S. oil exploration
and production, from drill bits to offshore cementing services.
"The proposed deal between Halliburton and Baker Hughes would
eliminate vital competition, skew energy markets and harm American
consumers," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
The companies pledged to fight the Justice Department lawsuit
vigorously. In a joint statement, they said they "believe that the
DOJ has reached the wrong conclusion in its assessment of the
transaction and that its action is counterproductive, especially in
the context of the challenges the U.S. and global energy industry
are currently experiencing."
Write to Brent Kendall at brent.kendall@wsj.com and Alison Sider
at alison.sider@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 06, 2016 10:45 ET (14:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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