United States v. Standard Oil Co. of California

In this action brought by the United States to enjoin certain practices of the defendant corporations, which the complaint alleges to be in violation of the Sherman, 15 U.S.C.A. §§ 1 to 4, and the Clayton 15 U.S.C.A. § 25 , Anti-Trust Acts, several motions have been interposed by the defendants.

The complaint, generally, charges certain practices in controlling 8000 stations in eight Western States — California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah — and in controlling *339 oil, gasoline, tires, and other products to be sold at these stations to the exclusion of competitors in the same fields.

The motions, heretofore argued and submitted, are now decided as follows:

Motion No. I

(For a Stay of Proceedings)

This motion seeks to stay proceedings in this cause until the final termination or determination of an anti-trust action instituted by the United States, in the District of Columbia, against the American Petroleum Institute and many other defendants, including the defendant here. The action just mentioned was filed on September 30, 1940. We have had no indication as to its status, whether issue has been joined, whether any attempt has been made to…