Albertsons responded to the allegations in a filing Tuesday and asked the court to deny the FTC’s motion. It said there is “zero evidence” that shows executives intended to withhold documents. The company instead alleged that it had instead gone to great lengths to preserve, collect and produce documents related to the case.

Kroger Co. sold $10.5 billion of notes to help fund its acquisition of fellow grocer Albertsons Cos. in one of the biggest corporate bond deals of the year.

Supermarket chain Kroger Co. on Tuesday said it was offering $10.5 billion in bonds to help pay for its planned $24.6 billion merger deal with rival Albertsons Cos. Inc.

Kroger Co., the parent company of King Soopers, this week filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission over the agency's effort to block a proposed $24.6B merger between King Soopers and Albertsons. In its lawsuit, Kroger challenged the FTC’s actions against the merger as unconstitutional.

Kroger will face off with regulators next week in Portland, Oregon, for a critical legal hearing in its proposed $25 billion takeover of Albertsons.

One of the largest retail mergers ever, the proposed acquisition has drawn the opposition of politicians, regulators, consumer and union groups.

The grocery chains, parents of Fred Meyer and Safeway, will make their case over three weeks in a Portland federal courthouse.