Anheuser-Busch Sues An Illinois Regulator (BUD)

Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) has filed a case against Illinois regulator for violating the U.S. Constitution.

The state regulator had allegedly tried to block Anheuser-Busch’s (BUD) attempt to buy a 70 percent stake in City Beverage, an alcohol distributor. The Illinois Liquor Control Commission branded Anheuser-Busch as a “nonresident dealer”, and was therefore ineligible for operating as a distributor. Anheuser-Busch already has a 30 percent stake in City Beverage.

Anheuser-Busch has called the ruling “thinly-veiled economic protectionism”. Anheuser’s case seeks to block the Illinois Commission from denying it a distributor license.