Eckerd v. Merck suit
Executive Summary
Firms settle antitrust suit filed by Jack Eckerd in Tampa Federal Court against Merck, challenging the manufacturer's single-price whslr./retailer policy. "The detailed provisions of the settlement are subject to a confidentiality agreement," the firms said in a joint Aug. 7 press release. The settlement does "not alter the prices and terms of sale by Merck to Eckerd, which are in accordance with Merck's publicly announced price lists." At the time of the suit's filing in 1982, the chain claimed that it would lose $900,000 in gross profits that fiscal year resulting from Merck's elimination of the 5% whslr. discount ("The Pink Sheet" April 12, 1982, p. 5).