The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil lawsuit against KKR & Co. Inc., alleging that the private equity firm repeatedly violated federal premerger review laws. The lawsuit claims KKR failed to comply with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act) by altering documents, omitting required information, and failing to file notifications for at least 16 transactions between 2021 and 2022, including a $6.9 billion transaction. The DOJ accuses KKR of evading antitrust scrutiny, which could have obscured the market impact of its deals. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and seeks penalties exceeding $650 million. KKR, managing $550 billion in assets, has responded by filing a lawsuit against the DOJ, claiming it did not violate the law and alleging that the DOJ's probe is politically motivated. The DOJ describes KKR's actions as indicative of a 'pervasive culture of noncompliance'.