Antitrust Law

Should Mississippi AG’s suit against LCD makers be heard in state court? SCOTUS to decide

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Nov. 6 in a case filed by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood against the makers of LCD screens. Hood claims the companies engaged in price fixing, resulting in higher prices that are illegal under Mississippi consumer protection law. The issue is whether the…

Sep 18, 2013 11:25 AM CDT

Justice Sotomayor presides over re-enactment of historic baseball case

No one was selling peanuts or Cracker Jack in the U.S. Supreme Court on May 22, but they might as well have been. The spectators, as well as the players and the umpire, seemed to be having as much fun as a day at the ballpark. Justice Sonia Sotomayor presided…

Sep 1, 2013 9:29 AM CDT

Law firm’s exclusive ads on Philly buses violated antitrust law, competitor’s suit alleges

A personal injury law firm in Philadelphia claims in a lawsuit that a competitor violated antitrust law with exclusive advertising contracts for ads on the exterior of Philadelphia buses. The suit by Larry Pitt & Associates claims Lundy Law also locked up advertising at the Wells Fargo Center and on…

Aug 29, 2013 2:20 PM CDT

Howrey trustee reaches two ‘monumental’ settlements; ex-employees may now recover some cash

The trustee for the defunct Howrey law firm will recover millions of dollars of fees from a law firm that hired 11 of its antitrust partners and will use the money to pay off most of its debt to Citibank. Trustee Allan Diamond called the new settlements “monumental” and “a…

Aug 19, 2013 12:03 PM CDT

Justice Department sues to block proposed merger of American Airlines with US Airways

The U.S. Justice Department has filed an antitrust suit in an effort to block the $11 billion merger of American Airlines with U.S. Airways. The merger would create the world’s largest airline and hamper competition, the Justice Department says. The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, the New York Times DealBook blog,…

Aug 13, 2013 3:18 PM CDT

Apple vows appeal after judge’s ‘stern rebuke’ of e-book strategy

Apple has promised to appeal a judge’s ruling Wednesday that the company colluded with five major U.S. publishers to drive up e-book prices as it entered the market in 2010. “Apple did not conspire to fix e-book pricing and we will continue to fight against these false accusations,” an Apple…

Jul 10, 2013 6:46 PM CDT

Suit claims five New York restaurants are conspiring to add tips to bills, violating antitrust law

A would-be class action lawsuit claims at least five New York City restaurants are violating antitrust and consumer laws by adding tips onto customers’ bills. The suit targets Olive Garden and the Red Lobster in Times Square, the Ruby Tuesday on Seventh Avenue, the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway and…

Jul 1, 2013 11:50 AM CDT

Are lengthy concurrences boosting SCOTUS prospects for federal appeals judge?

Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is known for writing lengthy concurrences, and he stayed true to form in a decision on Tuesday for Comcast in a dispute over its handling of the Tennis Channel. Kavanaugh was on a three-judge panel that reversed…

May 30, 2013 11:10 AM CDT

Sotomayor takes SCOTUS chief justice seat to re-enact famous baseball case

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor got the chance to sit at the center of the bench, normally reserved for Chief Justice John Roberts, this week as she presided over the re-enactment of a case that unsuccessfully challenged the ability of baseball team owners to virtually own their players. The…

May 24, 2013 8:46 PM CDT

Thanks to DOJ OK, liquor companies saved 50 percent using predictive coding

Two beer companies seeking to merge won Justice Department approval after a review that used technology to find relevant electronic documents. The U.S. Department of Justice gave its OK to the use of a computerized document search using predictive coding in its review of the proposed merger of Anheuser-Busch InBev…

May 7, 2013 11:30 AM CDT

Anheuser-Busch is cleared to acquire Modelo after court accepts antitrust settlement

The U.S. Department of Justice and Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) have resolved the antitrust lawsuit that threatened to derail the beer maker’s multibillion-dollar acquisition of competitor Grupo Modelo. The DOJ filed suit in January in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the merger, claiming it would…

Apr 25, 2013 8:05 PM CDT

SCOTUS overturns class certification in Comcast case; is opinion ‘good for this day and case only’?

A federal class action against Comcast was improperly certified because the trial court failed to consider whether the plaintiffs’ theory of damages can be applied to the entire class, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 opinion. The opinion makes it more difficult for the plaintiffs to obtain…

Mar 27, 2013 3:07 PM CDT

Ordered to pay $67K in legal fees, lawyer calls 9th Circuit’s sanction ‘a badge of honor’

Ordered by a federal appeals court to pay $67,495 in legal fees to the companies involved in an airline merger he contested on antitrust grounds, a longtime San Francisco lawyer says he will have to pay the money of his own pocket. But Joseph Alioto said the sanction by the…

Mar 26, 2013 3:28 PM CDT

Attorney and law firm must pay $67K in legal fees for ‘vexatious’ suit challenging airline merger

In an unusual move, a federal appeals court has sanctioned a prominent San Francisco plaintiffs law firm and its name partner by ordering reimbursement of $67,495 in opponent legal fees for pursuing what opponents called “unreasonable and vexatious” litigation over an airline merger. Joseph Alioto and the Alioto Law Firm…

Mar 25, 2013 5:53 PM CDT

DOJ sues to block Anheuser Busch merger with Mexico’s Grupo Modelo

The Justice Department on Thursday sued to stop a planned merger of Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev with Mexico’s largest beer maker, Grupo Modelo. Justice officials argue the merger would threaten competition and drive up beer prices, the Washington Post reports. If the two beer giants merge, a deal valued at $20.1…

Feb 2, 2013 12:06 AM CST