Gas Station In Wisconsin Sued By Competitors For Selling Gas Too Cheap

Are you angry about high fuel prices? Let’s rephrase the question – are you angry enough at the high gas prices to file a lawsuit? Actually, we need to repeat it one more time. Are you angry enough? low gas prices to file a lawsuit? Yes, you read that right. As you can probably guess, it’s not the disgruntled riders behind this unlikely scenario.

The story originates in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee and home to the Woodman Food Market. The store is part of a chain in the area that also owns a gas station, and apparently, several competing businesses in the neighborhood aren’t happy with the losing price. According to reports from WISN 12BP and a nearby Shell station are allegedly suing Woodman for $80,000 each, citing state laws that say the company cannot sell goods under-priced.

How much does it cost exactly? A quick check on Gasbuddy.com showed Woodman was selling regular gasoline for $3.59 on the afternoon of March 21. Other stations in the area are in the $3.75 to $3.99 range. The BP station is reported at $3.89 per gallon, while the Shell station across the street from Woodman is displayed at $3.79 per gallon. It should be noted that Gasbuddy.com relies on reports from registered website users posting fuel prices with estimated times.

WISN 12 claims to have more than 200 pages of court documents related to this case. The news outlet also cited a new filing from Woodman accusing the company of complying with the law, citing a Costco store more than six miles away as a competitor. Another quick check at Gasbuddy shows Costco in Pewaukee for a reported $3.49 per gallon.

Apparently, the court case is not based solely on recent events. Based on News Week, the lawsuit allegedly covers 40 days in which the plaintiffs said the prices at Woodman’s were too low. Newsweek also stated that Woodman had filed a lawsuit, seeking dismissal.

According to the latest information from US Energy Information Administrationthe national average for regular gasoline in the US is $4.31 per gallon. AAA reported a slightly lower figure at $4.25 on March 21. Meanwhile, oil prices have retreated from previous highs but are trending up again, with Brent crude up nearly 8 percent at $115.60. WTI crude was up more than half a percent at $112.80.