Antitrust Law

Exonerated Marsh & McLennan Execs Sue Spitzer and Slate for Libel Over Ex-AG’s Column Comments

About a month after the felony antitrust convictions of two former Marsh & McLennan executives were thrown out last year, former New York attorney general and governor Eliot Spitzer wrote a column in Slate. It defended his work on a 2004 case that resulted in an $850 million settlement by…

Aug 22, 2011 11:40 PM CDT

After Supreme Court Win Forcing Customers to Arbitrate, AT&T Now Sues to Stop the Arbitration

Victorious a few months ago before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that held customers were required by their phone contracts to arbitrate claims rather than sue, AT&T is now trying to put the genie back in the bottle. The telecommunications giant has filed suit in eight federal courts…

Aug 17, 2011 7:03 PM CDT

Law Firms Beef Up Their Antitrust Practices; Ex-Regulators in Big Demand

Corrected: Several law firms are bolstering their antitrust practices with lateral hires and the acquisition of onetime government lawyers. The most high-profile recent hire is that of Justice Department antitrust chief Christine Varney, who will join Cravath, Swaine & Moore this September, the Washington Post reports. Varney started the DOJ…

Jul 20, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Voted Into Milbank Partnership, SJ Berwin Competition Chief & 2nd Partner Opt Not to Make the Leap

Voted in as partners of New York’s Milbank Tweed  Hadley & McCloy, two SJ Berwin competition lawyers changed their minds and rescinded their resignations from the London-based law firm, reports Legal Week. Competition chief Stephen Kon and fellow partner and practitioner Cameron Firth declined to comment, as did SJ Berwin.…

Jul 18, 2011 9:12 PM CDT

NYT: Hacking Settlements Are ‘Chicken Feed’ Compared to Payouts for Alleged Corporate Hijinks

News Corp. paid a reported $1.6 million in 2009 to settle legal claims related to the phone hacking scandal, but the amount pales in comparison to other legal settlements paid by the company. The newspaper’s in-store and newspaper insert marketing business, News America Marketing, has paid $655 million to settle…

Jul 18, 2011 1:17 PM CDT

8th Circuit Allows NFL Lockout, Overturning Lower Court Injunction

A federal appeals court is allowing the lockout by the National Football League in a ruling that overturns a preliminary injunction. The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the injunction could not be granted under the Norris-LaGuardia Act, which restricts the power of courts to…

Jul 11, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Top Antitrust Regulator to Join Cravath

The nation’s main antitrust regulator is moving to a New York law firm. Christine Varney will leave the antitrust division of the Department of Justice later this year to join Cravath Swaine & Moore, where she is expected to work on antitrust issues in mergers and acquisitions, reports the DealBook…

Jul 6, 2011 8:44 PM CDT

Utah AG Looking for Firm to Sue College Football Group

Mark Shurtleff, Utah’s attorney general, thinks the college football Bowl Championship Series is an illegal monopoly, and he’s looking for a law firm to investigate and file suit. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Shurtleff put the query on BidSync, a website where government agencies list contracts, bids and requests…

Jun 30, 2011 3:54 PM CDT

Report: FTC Is Poised to Pursue Antitrust Probe re Google’s Web-Search Dominance

In a dawning probe that could eventually change the Internet landscape, the Federal Trade Commission is reportedly poised to begin an investigation of Google Inc.’s dominance over Web searches. While it isn’t illegal to have a monopoly under United States antitrust law, only to abuse it, the FTC is about…

Jun 23, 2011 11:21 PM CDT

NFL Scores in 8th Circuit, Where Liberals Are Moderate

The National Football League apparently found a friendly forum when a St. Louis-based federal appeals court ruled Monday evening that the lockout could continue. Even the most liberal judges on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would be considered moderate in other circuits, the Washington Post reports. Said Jon…

May 18, 2011 3:03 PM CDT

UK Watchdog Agency Opens Investigation on Big 4 Accounting Firms

The United Kingdom’s Office of Fair Trading has opened an investigation involving Big Four accounting firms, Bloomberg News reports. The investigation involves allegations of accounting industry practices that stunt competition and block smaller rivals. It is broader than a prior OFT proposal to focus on bank loans forcing borrowers to…

May 17, 2011 3:47 PM CDT

DOJ Considers Antitrust Probe of Bowl Championship Series, Asks NCAA to Explain Procedure

In a letter to the National College Athletic Association made public today, the U.S. Department of Justice announces that it is considering an antitrust probe of the way the participants in the Bowl Championship Series are selected. Unlike many other college sports, college football doesn’t have a playoff to determine…

May 4, 2011 8:18 PM CDT

Lockout Case Asks Conservative-Leaning 8th Circuit to Decide Between Business Interests, Free Market

Litigation over the National Football League lockout is headed to the conservative-leaning 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the experts say that doesn’t necessarily mean an NFL victory. The New York Times talked to several experts who said it’s difficult to make predictions about the outcome of the case…

Apr 27, 2011 4:09 PM CDT

Mark Lanier ... Movie Star? Lawyer Plays Himself in Film Based on Antitrust Case

A Houston lawyer is getting positive reviews in a new movie in which he pretty much plays himself. Although based on an actual case, Puncture is “a loose conglomeration of several cases with plenty of Hollywood mixed in,” the trial lawyer tells the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, which links…

Apr 26, 2011 7:44 PM CDT

Federal Judge Grants Injunction Ending Lockout; NFL Seeks Stay, Plans Expedited Appeal

Apparently swayed by the players’ argument that their careers are being irreparably harmed by a National Football League lockout, a federal judge in Minnesota today granted an injunction putting them back to work that was sought as part of an antitrust suit being pursued by the players. However, the NFL…

Apr 25, 2011 10:54 PM CDT