SEATTLE − An attorney for Washington state opened the antitrust case against the proposed $25 billion Kroger merger with Albertsons by unleashing a torrent of harsh language: he quoted the emails, texts and other messages of grocery executives,

The battle waged by the state of Washington to stop the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is now playing out in a King County court room.

The case is one of three challenging the $24.6 billion deal, which was announced nearly two years ago. The Federal Trade Commission is currently fighting the merger in federal court in Oregon, where closing arguments are expected Tuesday.

Washington state went to court Monday to try to block a proposed merger between Albertsons and Kroger, saying shoppers would pay hundreds of millions more for groceries each year if the

A Washington state anti-trust lawsuit to to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is set to begin Monday.

The Federal Trade Commission is suing to block a proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons out of concern that it could result in higher grocery prices. The intervention is misguided. Supermarkets aren’t responsible for the recent rises in grocery prices,