By Stefanie Eschenbacher
HOUSTON/MEXICO CITY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. court on
Thursday tossed out a request from two laundromat owners to
block Mexican state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) from
acquiring majority control of a Texas oil refinery.
Royal Dutch Shell in May agreed to sell Pemex its
majority stake in the 302,800 barrel per day (bpd) Deer Park
refinery outside Houston. The deal with Pemex, its long-time
partner in the plant, was said to be worth about $596 million.
U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal denied requests for
a temporary restraining order and expedited discovery filed by
two businessmen who argued the sale would increase U.S. energy
prices.
Aaron Hagele and Andrew Sarcinella, owners of a Mt. Vernon,
N.Y., coin-operated laundromat who filed the lawsuit https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/texas-lawsuit-by-laundromat-owners-seeks-block-shell-refinery-sale-pemex-2021-12-21,
claimed the sale would raise U.S. gasoline prices, harm their
customers and reduce their profits.
Their laundromat business would suffer "an incalculable but
evident" harm if more of the refinery's fuel output is exported,
according to a filing in U.S. District Court for Southern
District of Texas.
A Shell spokesman said the oil major was pleased the court
recognized there was no legal basis to pause the transaction.
Pemex and Shell "are looking forward to closing as soon as
possible."
Neither Pemex nor a lawyer for Hagele and Sarcinella could
immediately be reached for further comment.
(Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher in Mexico City and Gary
McWilliams in Houston; Editing by Aurora Ellis)