R. C. Bigelow Inc. has filed suit...

R. C. Bigelow Inc. has filed suit to prevent the purchase by Thomas J. Lipton Inc. of Kraft Inc.’s Celestial Seasonings subsidiary. Lipton is a member of the Unilever Group. U.S. District Judge Jose A. Cabranes entered a temporary restraining order delaying the acquisition until a hearing can be held. The complaint by Bigelow, a Norwalk, Conn., manufacturer of herbal teas, says the acquisition would join the nation’s two largest sellers of herbal tea, violating federal antitrust laws. If permitted, the deal would create a monopoly; Lipton would control about 82% of the U.S. herbal tea market, according to Bigelow.