The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a record $2.6 million fine against beer wholesaler Craft Brewers Guild for violating anti-price discrimination statutes and commercial bribery regulations. The decision.
CBG was fined by the Massachusetts’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission in early 2015 for a variety of tied-house “pay-to-play” violations.
The Court rejected the CBG challenge to the validity of state tied-house regulations, and held that the regulation’s prohibition against commercial bribery falls “well within the overall purpose of [Massachusetts’] Liquor Control Act.” This court decision is another important affirmation of state-based tied-house regulations.
