(Bloomberg) -- Illinois is joining the multi-state antitrust lawsuit aimed at blocking T-Mobile US Inc.'s acquisition of Sprint Corp., a boost that means more than half the U.S. population is now represented in the litigation.
The midwestern state's Democratic attorney general, Kwame Raoul, is adopting claims that the merger will raise prices for consumers by removing a major competitor, according to a statement Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who's co-leading the suit with California. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia are now plaintiffs in the case.
“With fewer companies competing, customers would face fewer choices, higher prices, less innovation and lower quality service,” Raoul said in the statement.
The bipartisan suit is continuing to expand weeks after the merger won the approval of the Justice Department's antitrust division. The Trump administration agreed with the companies that their merger will benefit consumers by speeding deployment of next-generation 5G technology. The deal can't close until the state lawsuit is resolved.
Read More: Texas Joins N.Y. Lawsuit to Block T-Mobile's Sprint Deal
To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg
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