Colorado AG’s lawsuit to block supermarket merger is a separate case that would impact only stores in the state.

Kroger Co.’s planned $24.6 billion acquisition of rival Albertsons Cos. Inc. has been terminated and Albertsons has sued the Cincinnati grocer, blaming it for the deal collapsing after two Dec. 10 court rulings rejected the deal.

On Wednesday, Albertsons filed a lawsuit against its former potential partner saying that Kroger didn’t make its “best efforts” to get approval for the merger, alleging that Kroger didn’t divest enough to get antitrust approval and ignored feedback from regulators, breaking the agreement, the AP reported.

Albertsons on Wednesday formally terminated its proposed $25 billion merger with Kroger and filed a lawsuit against its supermarket competitor, saying Kroger violated its contract and didn’t follow through on commitments to help get the deal approved.

Albertsons on Wednesday terminated its $25 billion bid to merge with Kroger after courts blocked the deal and sued its rival, alleging a breach of contract that led to the deal's demise. The formal termination ends a two-year long effort by the chains to combine that regulators argued would lead to higher prices for shoppers.

The ruling hands a victory to Biden antitrust enforcers, who said the $20 billion supermarket merger would erode competition and raise prices for consumers.

A U.S. judge blocked the pending $25-billion merger of U.S. grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons on Tuesday, in a win for the Federal Trade Commission that Kroger has said would likely scuttle the deal.

U.S. District Court for Oregon Judge Adrienne Nelson on Tuesday ruled a proposed $24.6 billion merger between grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons likely would harm consumers and halted it.

A federal judge in Oregon has blocked the megamerger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons from moving forward, delivering a win for antitrust hawks and the Federal Trade Commission. U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson issued an order Tuesday granting a preliminary injunction to halt the $25 billion deal.