Kroger Fights Albertsons Suit Over Failed $24.6 Billion Deal (1)

Kroger Co. is fighting back against a lawsuit brought by Albertsons Cos. over its failed $24.6 billion takeover of the rival grocery chain, escalating a dispute that began after US antitrust enforcers succeeded in blocking the deal last year.

Albertsons is trying to extract billions of dollars, including a $600 million termination fee, with baseless claims that Kroger tried to undermine the deal, attorneys for Kroger wrote in a filing that was unsealed on Tuesday in the Delaware Court of Chancery.

According to Kroger, private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, the biggest shareholder in Albertsons, was incentivized to push ...