North Carolina Sues Gas Distributor

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The North Carolina state attorney general's office is suing an Alamance County gas distributor, saying the supplier conspired to fix prices and tried to force one gas station to raise its prices by 40 cents a gallon, according to the Associated Press.

The lawsuit was filed last Friday against McLeod Oil and Home Oil of Mebane and their manager, Wesley C. Mehring, the AP reported.

An affidavit filed by Durham convenience store owner Steven Grover says McLeod Oil came to his store on Sept. 28 and demanded that he immediately raise his prices because competing gas stations were angry about his low prices, the AP reported.

According to the report, Grover refused to change the prices and says he received a message telling him his pumps had been padlocked. The next week, a representative from McLeod asked Grover's wife to raise the prices, and when she declined, McLeod removed the gas from the underground tanks.

The padlocks were to be removed and a supply of gasoline delivered today, the AP reported.
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