Beer Distributor Sues Mega-Brewer Constellation for $34 Million

A Massachusetts beer distributor wants a leading beer retailer to pay $34 million for allegedly breaching their contract by preventing the sale of its assets to a qualified buyer.

Quality Beverage Limited Partnership, a wholesale alcohol distributor of brands owned by Anheuser-Busch, Yuengling, and other major brewers, sued Crown Imports LLC, a division of international beer giant Constellation Brands Inc. in Massachusetts Superior Court Tuesday.

The distributor said it agreed in March 2023 to sell all of its assets to Martignetti Beverage Company LLC, including all of its distribution rights, for nearly $192 million. But Quality Beverage Limited Partnership needed ...