Antitrust Law

7th Circuit says brewer’s antitrust claims can move forward

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially revived a small Wisconsin brewer’s lawsuit against the two largest American breweries for conspiring to monopolize the sale of beer in Ontario, Canada.

Sep 6, 2019 2:57 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge’s sex-bias accuser accused of seeking attention; lawyer disbarred for office assault

• A California appellate judge accused of longtime sexual harassment is a friendly man now being judged through the lens of the #MeToo era, his lawyer told an ethics panel Monday. Lawyer Paul Meyer told the panel that Justice Jeffrey Johnson is the victim of “vile” rumors spread in part…

Aug 6, 2019 4:40 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Appeals of Kavanaugh complaints rejected; Trump rescinds prosecutor medals

• A judicial conduct committee says it doesn’t have authority to review complaints accusing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh of misconduct by showing bias and hostility during his confirmation hearings. The U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability said Thursday that ethics complaints can be filed…

Aug 1, 2019 4:00 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: $2B verdict against Roundup maker slashed; law firm breakup now a play

• For the second time in two weeks, a judge in California has reduced a verdict against the maker of Roundup weed killer in a suit by cancer victims. Judge Winifred Smith of Alameda County reduced the award to Alva and Alberta Pilliod from $2 billion to $86.7 million. Defendant…

Jul 26, 2019 5:02 PM CDT

Tech companies under fire: Facebook to pay $5B, antitrust probe opened, AG Barr criticizes encryption

Technology companies are under fire by the Trump administration. On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Facebook will pay a record $5 billion privacy penalty to settle allegations that the company deceived users about their ability to control disclosure of their personal information. The Washington Post has coverage. The…

Jul 24, 2019 10:27 AM CDT

Search engines not liable for translating sham addresses into map pinpoints, opinion says

A federal appeals court has ruled that federal law protects online search engines from liability when they translate information from sham websites into pinpoints on a map. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo were protected by Section 230 of…

Jun 12, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Lawyer feels ‘Hamiltonian’ after settling suit for ticket refund

A Houston personal injury lawyer has settled his lawsuit against Ticketmaster for refusing to refund $2,325 he spent for Hamilton tickets. Lawyer Joshua P. Davis said he mistakenly bought three tickets for January rather than March when he pressed the back button on his browser and the calendar changed. But…

Jan 17, 2019 2:17 PM CST

How some law firms are affected by the government shutdown

Law firms handling antitrust, capital markets and white-collar defense work are feeling the effects of the partial government shutdown, which has recently become the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

Jan 14, 2019 10:23 AM CST

Florida Bar wins dismissal of antitrust suit filed by ticket-fighting startup

A federal judge in Miami has tossed an antitrust suit filed by ticket-fighting startup TIKD that alleged the Florida Bar violated antitrust law by investigating TIKD for the unlicensed practice of law. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke granted the bar’s December 2017 motion to dismiss the suit in a brief…

Dec 6, 2018 7:10 AM CST

Law firm is dropped from app’s antitrust suit; Florida Bar fights request for hotline records

A ticket-fighting company that matches drivers with lawyers has dropped a law firm known as the Ticket Clinic from its antitrust lawsuit. The plaintiff, TIKD, had targeted the Ticket Clinic for allegedly filing ethics complaints against lawyers who worked with TIKD. The Ticket Clinic defendants and TIKD sought dismissal in…

Oct 1, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Sessions to meet state AGs on whether social media firms are ‘intentionally stifling’ free speech

Jeff Sessions announced Wednesday that he will discuss social media companies and concerns about anticompetitive behavior this month with state attorneys general, the Wall Street Journal reports. The U.S. attorney general is also concerned about platforms “intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas,” the agency said in a statement, according…

Sep 5, 2018 3:46 PM CDT

Can the government regulate Google search results? Lawyers weigh in

Lawyers are considering how and whether the government could use its regulatory authority over Google after President Donald Trump complained Tuesday that search results are skewed against conservative voices.

Aug 29, 2018 8:23 AM CDT

EU punishes Google with record $5.1B antitrust fine for deals requiring preinstalled apps, services

The European Union has fined Google $5.1 billion for using its market dominance to encourage device makers to preinstall its apps and services on Android phones and tablets. The antitrust fine by the EU is a record, report the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.…

Jul 18, 2018 8:48 AM CDT

Justice Department will appeal decision approving AT&T-Time Warner merger

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a notice indicating it will appeal a federal judge’s decision approving the merger of media giants AT&T and Time Warner. The notice of appeal was filed in federal court on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reports. The New York Times also has coverage. U.S.…

Jul 12, 2018 4:06 PM CDT

NCAA transfer rules don’t violate Sherman Act, says 7th Circuit panel

A year-in-residency rule from the National Collegiate Athletic Association—which requires student athletes who transfer to Division I schools to wait a full academic year before they can play on teams—was upheld Monday by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago.

Jun 26, 2018 1:51 PM CDT