In 1917, D purchased 23% of the stock in General Motors Corporation (GM). At the time, D was a leading chemical manufacturer. It sold GM most of its finishes and fabrics. At the time of the purchase, GM was a leading manufacturer of autos. After the purchase, D was the go-to supplier to GM for fabrics and finishes. Over time, GM became the largest auto manufacturer with almost half of the sales nationwide. As expected, D grew as well becoming the predominant supplier of automotive finishes and fabrics. P brought an action against Ds, claiming that the stock purchase made 40-years ago, violated §§ 7 and 15 of the Clayton Act for mergers and acquisitions in restraint of trade. D posited that §7 did not apply to acquisitions of noncompetitors, and at the time, GM’s demand was a small percentage of the fabric and finishing markets. The trial court dismissed. The Supreme court granted certiorari.

This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

The legal issues presented in this case will be displayed here.

The court's holding and decision will be displayed here.

Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.