Star Tribune
Mesabi Metallics wins small victory with judge allowing its antitrust claims against Cleveland-Cliffs to go to trial
But in a Wednesday filing, Goldblatt denied Cliffs’ motion for summary judgement, saying there are enough factual disputes to merit a trial in federal district court.
“A (reasonable) jury could find that Mesabi suffered the type of injury that antirust law is intended to prevent,” he wrote.
From 2015 to 2019, Cleveland-Cliffs was by far the largest independent iron ore merchant for the Great Lakes steel business with 73% to 78% of the “non-captive” market for taconite pellets, Mesabi claims. The term “captive” refers to iron mines owned directly by steel companies. In 2020, Cliffs bought two major U.S. steelmakers and now primarily produces iron ore for its own “captive” steel mills.
The Nashwauk plant would have competed with Cliffs in the non-captive market. Essar Minnesota made a critical deal in 2014 to supply taconite pellets to ArcelorMittal’s U.S. subsidiary, then one of the nation’s two largest steelmakers. But ArcelorMittal terminated the contract in 2016 since Essar Minnesota had yet to finish its Nashwauk plant.
Cliffs then signed a 10-year agreement with ArcelorMittal. Mesabi Metallics claims Cliffs structured the contract to give Cliffs exclusive access to Arcelor and shut Mesabi out of the market.
Mesabi Metallics also claims Cliffs’ anticompetitive conduct included blackballing construction contractors who worked on Mesabi’s project. The Jamar Co. and Barr Engineering, two Minnesota prominent contractors, had worked for both Mesabi and Cliffs. Cliffs refused to let Jamar continue to work on ongoing projects – or bid on new ones, Goldblatt’s ruling said. Once Jamar stopped supporting Mesabi, it got its Cliffs business back. A similar tale unfolded with Barr.
A participant in an inline skating race held Saturday on Saturday died following the race, race officials announced on a Facebook page Sunday.
Mike Lufholm, 36, of Minneapolis, was remembered in Northshore Inline Marathon organizers’ Facebook post as an active member of the rollerblading community. He died following an apparent medical incident at the race course.
“Mike was a true ambassador for inline skating with a passion for the sport,” one commenter said. Another recalled seeing him in Duluth before the race with his wife and newborn daughter Friday.
Lufholm grew up in northern Minnesota and began skating in middle school, according to his team member profile on Rollerblade.com.
Race officials thanked participants who came to Lufholm’s aid, first responders and medical professionals who helped provide care.
“Our hearts go out to his wife, daughter, family, and all those who were close to him. He made such an impact on the rollerblading community,” the Facebook post said.
A 27-acre wildfire believed to be caused by human activity near Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was 25% contained Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The Wood Lake fire was discovered around 10 a.m. Tuesday on an island on Wood Lake, a news release from the U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest said. It caused the closure of an entry point on the lake, as well as several nearby lakes and portages.
“Firefighters made good progress yesterday with higher humidity levels, continuing to reinforce the fire’s containment line,” the news release said Sunday, noting that firefighters are making contingency plans around Moose Lake.
Firefighters from Connecticut are assisting in fighting the fire.
The fire is under investigation, and Superior National Forest law enforcement are seeking any information about how the fire started.
A sheriff’s deputy wounded a man during a standoff in western Minnesota early Sunday.
The Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office was called for a welfare check at a house near Clarkfield, south of Montevideo, Saturday afternoon, the agency said in a news release. When officers arrived, the man they meant to check on fled into a farm field with a rifle, the release said.
Sheriff’s deputies rushed neighbors out of the house next to the field, and said the man pointed his rifle at them before running into the just-vacated house.
Deputies surrounded the house and tried to talk to the person, but called a SWAT team when they could not persuade him to come outside. Members of the Kandiyohi-Meeker-Willmar SWAT team arrived and also tried to talk the person out of the house.
The man fired at the SWAT team, according to the sheriff’s office. A member of that SWAT team shot back, hitting the man in the leg. The standoff continued.
Two other SWAT teams relieved the Kandiyohi-Meeker-Willmar team after about eight hours, according to the sheriff’s office.
Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, the man left the house and shot a long gun at the SWAT teams. Another SWAT team member shot back and hit the man.
The man was taken to HCMC by helicopter and was in stable condition Sunday afternoon.
