Brunswick Corp. v. Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc.

Brunswick (defendant) became the dominant operator of bowling centers by acquiring insolvent competitors during an industry downturn, including six centers competing with Pueblo (plaintiff); Pueblo sued under Clayton Act § 7, alleging the acquisitions were an unlawful anticompetitive merger, and sought treble damages under § 4 for lost business caused by those centers remaining open rather than closing. The district court awarded Pueblo damages, and the court of appeals affirmed, finding a properly instructed jury could have deemed the acquisitions unlawful; Brunswick appealed.