Enbridge Inc. successfully defended against Ducere LLC’s antitrust lawsuit, with a federal judge dismissing the claims accusing Enbridge of killing a pipeline terminal project to preserve its monopoly on crude oil transportation services in the Chicago area.
U.S. District Judge April M. Perry ruled Monday that Ducere, which had invested $11 million in a project to transport crude oil via barges from a Chicago-area pipeline, failed to prove its monopolization claims against Enbridge. Ducere alleged that Enbridge, alongside ExxonMobil and Mustang Pipe Line LLC, had colluded to prevent access to crucial oil pipelines, thereby maintaining control over crude oil transportation services to southern Midwest and Gulf Coast refineries.
The case centered on Ducere’s proposal to build a terminal on a canal in Chicago, linking it to Mustang’s pipeline, which moves crude oil south from the Chicago area. The terminal would have enabled Ducere to transport Canadian crude oil via barges. However, after negotiations, Mustang backed out of the deal, prompting Ducere to blame Enbridge for undermining the project.
