Antitrust Law

Paul Weiss partner expected to be chosen by Trump to lead the Federal Trade Commission

A BigLaw lawyer who formerly worked at the Federal Trade Commission will be tapped to become its chairman. President Donald Trump plans to nominate Joseph Simons, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and who is co-chair of its antitrust practice, report Bloomberg Big Law Business, Reuters, the…

Oct 20, 2017 10:09 AM CDT

California bar spins off its sections amid concerns over liquor spending, resort functions

The State Bar of California has spun off its 16 voluntary sections into a nonprofit entity, making the state bar strictly a disciplinary and regulatory agency that is mandatory for state lawyers. The changes are authorized in a bill signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday, report Courthouse News…

Oct 3, 2017 1:12 PM CDT

Minor league players lose federal antitrust appeal over low wages

A federal appeals court has tossed a suit filed by professional minor league baseball players who claimed the league illegally depressed wages in violation of antitrust law. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) on Monday that minor league baseball is exempt from antitrust laws, report…

Jun 27, 2017 4:00 PM CDT

EU announces $2.7B fine against Google for favoring its shopping service in search results

The European Union has fined Google a record $2.7 billion for using its search results to promote its comparison shopping service at the top of the search screen. EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said Google violated European antitrust rules and abused its market dominance, report the Washington Post and the…

Jun 27, 2017 8:18 AM CDT

Lex Machina marks timely addition of commercial case analytics

Law analytics platform Lex Machina has expanded its coverage to include commercial litigation. On Tuesday, the company announced that it has added more than 62,000 commercial cases filed since 2009, many in the realm of federal contract claims and business torts. The commercial module will allow users to forecast how much time it would take for a commercial case to be resolved, said Lex Machina general counsel Owen Byrd, as well as project the kinds of damages a user might be facing.

Jun 20, 2017 4:00 PM CDT

Foreclosure law firm accused of conspiring to inflate prices is mostly victorious at trial

The largest foreclosure law firm in Colorado has successfully fought civil allegations that it conspired with competitors and related businesses to fix prices and make more money on side costs, such as title insurance and foreclosure notices. Judge Morris Hoffman of Denver ruled on Tuesday that there was no conspiracy…

Apr 6, 2017 11:08 AM CDT

Judge blocks Anthem and Cigna merger

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the merger of health insurers Anthem and Cigna, giving the U.S. Justice Department a second antitrust victory in the health-care market in less than a month’s time. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson cited antitrust concerns in her decision (PDF), report the National law…

Feb 9, 2017 10:33 AM CST

Trial ends for foreclosure law firm accused of conspiring to inflate prices

A lawyer for the state of Colorado argued last week that Colorado’s largest foreclosure law firm conspired with competitors and related businesses to fix prices and maximize profits. The Denver-based Castle Law Group, along with the husband and wife team who ran it, are facing a civil suit that claims…

Feb 2, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Federal judge blocks merger of Humana and Aetna on antitrust grounds

In a victory for the U.S. Justice Department, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., has blocked Aetna’s proposed $37 billion acquisition of Humana. U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled on Monday that the merger would reduce competition among health insurers and violate antitrust law, report the National Law Journal (sub.…

Jan 23, 2017 1:22 PM CST

The tables turn as Democratic attorneys general prepare to challenge Trump policies

Taking a cue from their Republican counterparts, some Democratic state attorneys general are prepared to file lawsuits that challenge Donald Trump’s administration’s actions. An argument advanced by Republicans—that states must help block federal overreach—is now likely to be adopted by Democrats, the New York Times reports. “The strategy could be…

Dec 15, 2016 10:40 AM CST

Gun-control groups join BigLaw coalition; seven firms are on board so far

Seven well-known law firms have agreed to provide tens of millions of dollars in free legal services to gun-control groups, and several more firms are expected to join the effort in coming months. A New York Times DealBook article identifies the law firms as: Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison;…

Dec 7, 2016 10:02 AM CST

Supreme Court drops ATM fee cases because of a switch in arguments

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dropped two antitrust cases involving ATM fees and explained the reason why. The court said (PDF) it dismissed the consolidated cases as improvidently granted because lawyers for Visa and MasterCard switched arguments after the court granted cert, report Lyle Denniston Law News, SCOTUSblog and…

Nov 18, 2016 10:23 AM CST

In some business decisions, Obama’s judicial appellate appointees shift law to the left

Federal appeals judges appointed by President Obama make up a little less than a third of active circuit court judges, and their influence is beginning to have an impact in some business-related cases. Since 2009, 55 of Obama’s appellate appointees have been confirmed, and 31 replaced replaced judges appointed by…

Nov 2, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Federal judge chastises FTC for threatening to ‘pick up its marbles’ and play in other venues

A federal judge in Philadelphia is criticizing the Federal Trade Commission for threatening “to pick up its marbles and play in venues more to its liking.” U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond scolded the FTC in its case contending drug makers had entered into agreements to delay producing two generic drugs,…

Oct 24, 2016 3:50 PM CDT

US didn’t prove AmEx merchant policies violated antitrust law, 2nd Circuit says

The federal government failed to prove that American Express violated antitrust law with policies that stopped merchants from encouraging customers to use other, lower cost credit cards, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday, report Law.com (sub. req.), the…

Sep 27, 2016 10:51 AM CDT