Copperweld Corp. v. Independence Tube Corp.

After Regal Tube (defendant) was acquired by Copperweld (defendant), the two companies coordinated to pressure a supplier into voiding a purchase order from Independence Tube (plaintiff), a new competitor founded by a former Regal executive; Independence sued, alleging Copperweld and Regal conspired for anticompetitive purposes in violation of Sherman Act § 1, and a jury awarded damages, affirmed by the court of appeals on the theory the two entities could be treated as independent conspiring actors.