Us West Attempts To Block Purchase

Barring a last-minute settlement, US West Inc. goes to court Wednesday in its attempt to block partner Time Warner Inc.’s planned purchase of Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

The civil suit is set to be heard by Chancellor William T. Allen in Wilmington, Del. Top officials of US West and Time Warner are expected to testify next week.

Some analysts were surprised that the two sides had failed to resolve their dispute out of court, particularly since the federal government is continuing to examine whether the Turner deal violates antitrust laws.

The companies have been holding top-level talks in an effort to restructure their partnership, but were apparently still too far apart to allow a settlement of the court case.