Veterinary Chain Owned by JAB Holding Hit With Monopoly Claims

National Veterinary Associates Inc., a leading animal health chain owned by German consumer goods giant JAB Holding Co., was hit with a federal antitrust lawsuit in Spokane, Wash., on Monday over its alleged scheme to corner the regional market through noncompete and referral agreements tied to its acquisition of a veterinary hospital.

NVA and the hospital “both understood this was, and both intended it to be, a merger-to-monopoly consolidation,” the complaint says.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, concerns NVA’s acquisition of co-defendant Pet Emergency Clinic PS as part of a buying ...