Four brewers were accused of driving up prices.

Anheuser-Busch, Miller Brewing, G. Heileman Brewing and Stroh Brewery, along with New York beer distributors, were accused of violating New York state and federal antitrust laws by illegally dividing up exclusive territories for beer distributors. In a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court, New York Atty. Gen. Robert Abrams said the defendants began setting up exclusive distribution systems in 1983, following a pattern allegedly already established by the soft-drink industry. Abrams said that beer prices “have skyrocketed since this system was instituted.”