Berkshire Hathaway Unit Owes Damages for Illegal Monopolization

A Colorado federal jury determined Berkshire Hathaway Inc. unit Johns Manville Corp. must pay about $6.8 million in damages to a competitor for monopolizing the market for a pipe insulation material.

Insulation maker Chase Manufacturing, which operates under the name Thermal Pipe Shields, initially filed the antitrust lawsuit in 2019 in the US District Court for the District of Colorado, accusing Johns Manville of threatening to refuse to sell to any company that bought products from its rival. The jury late last week sided with the plaintiff in concluding Johns Manville violated antitrust law.

Johns Manville disagrees with the verdict ...