Nippon Steel Again Dodges Consumer Bid to Halt US Steel Purchase

Japan’s Nippon Steel convinced a federal judge for a second time to dismiss a private plaintiffs’ case seeking to unwind the company’s $14.1 billion purchase of US Steel Corp. last year.

The consumer plaintiffs’ amended complaint “remains deficient” and again fails to allege antitrust injury, Judge Eumi K. Lee of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said in a ruling that dismissed the case for good. Lee dismissed the plaintiffs’ complaint last year but allowed them to refile.

Consumers of steel products sued Nippon in February 2025, claiming the deal violated Section 7 of the Clayton ...