Judge Grills Justice Department on Assa Abloy Monitor Scope (1)

A D.C. federal judge confronted the Justice Department over an investigation it’s pursuing as part of an antitrust settlement with Assa Abloy AB, saying it goes beyond the deal terms while creating “outrageous costs.”

“There’s no universe in which” Assa Abloy agreed to a five-year investigation with open-ended mandates for an independent monitor, Judge Ana C. Reyes said during a Tuesday hearing at the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The hearing came roughly a year after the DOJ dropped its challenge of Assa Abloy’s $4.3 billion acquisition of Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc. hardware unit after reaching ...