OCALA, Fla. - Relatives of baseball great Roger Maris lost a legal battle with Anheuser-Busch Inc. filed after the brewery canceled its contract with the family to distribute its beer and other products.
The Marises were seeking damages of $49 million in the federal antitrust case, saying the St. Louis-based company wanted to give the wholesale business - with profits of $6 million in its last year - to a favored friend or relative.
The brewer said the contract was terminated because the family was selling outdated beer and not investing enough money in the business or its employees.
Maris founded Maris Distributing Co. in 1968. August Busch Jr., who also owned the St. Louis Cardinals, gave him the territory around Gainesville and Ocala as a reward for helping the team win the 1967 World Series.
The former home run king died in 1985, and his relatives continued to operate the company. They tried to sell it when they knew they would lose the distribution contract.
A clause in the contract prohibited public ownership of the distributorship, and the Marises argued at trial that the clause violated antitrust law by limiting potential buyers.
Anheuser-Busch offered to buy the distributorship for about $21.5 million. The Marises wanted $60 million. In the end, the contract was terminated, the family got nothing and Maris Distributing was shut down.
The brewer sold the territory for about $13 million to two other distributors, including a close friend of August Busch III, the brewery's chairman.
Anheuser-Busch attorney Peter Moll said the brewery spent $5 million fighting the three-year case. He said the Marises spent at least three times that amount. Maris' brother Rudy Maris wouldn't comment on the costs.
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