W.Va. Suit Says Asphalt Companies' Have Monopoly

West Virginia’s attorney general is suing 11 companies, saying they have monopolized the asphalt paving business and driven up the state’s costs for years.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s suit filed Wednesday follows another filed by the state Division of Highways in October. Morrisey says that lawsuit was withdrawn because his office actually has the authority.

The complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court alleges violations of the state’s antitrust law and seeks damages.

Morrisey says overcharges would be determined in court discovery.

His office is requesting competitive bids from law firms to take the case for between 17 and 25 percent of the recovery.

The complaint says three companies acquired smaller competitors and used no-compete agreements to lock up the market in the southern, southwestern and west central regions of the state.