Selecta, Majority Lenders Ask Judge to Toss Antitrust Suit

Selecta Group BV and a group of its bondholders asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing them of violating US antitrust laws as creditors made a pact among themselves to negotiate a deal with the Swiss vending machine company that favored them over others.

Two separate motions, filed Friday in the Southern District of New York, are the response to the first-ever lawsuit challenging the legality of so-called cooperation agreements among a majority group of bondholders. The motions argue that a coordinated effort by a majority group of bondholders to work together isn’t a violation of antitrust laws or akin to price-fixing.