On 20 October 2008, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois seeking to block the proposed acquisition of National Beef Packing Company LLC by JBS S.A. According to the DOJ, the proposed transaction would substantially lessen competition in violation of US federal antitrust laws and lead to higher prices for USDA-graded boxed beef and lower prices paid to feedlots and other cattle producers.