Report: Court reverses ruling on Whole Foods, Wild Oats deal

WASHINGTON According to reports, a U.S. appeals court has reversed a lower court decision last year that enabled Whole Foods Market to buy Wild Oats Markets, despite the objections of the Federal Trade Commission.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reportedly said that U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman wrongfully turned down the FTC's request for an injunction to block the deal, saying he "underestimated the FTC's likelihood of success on the merits."

Judge Friedman had denied the FTC's request on the grounds that it did not prove that the merger between the two companies would hurt competition.