Competition

  • May 06, 2024

    Paul Weiss Lands M&A Pro Who Sees Strong Deals Pipeline

    James "Jim" Langston has joined Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP as a partner in its mergers and acquisitions practice in New York, telling Law360 the move presented an irresistible opportunity to team up with attorneys he previously admired from across the bargaining table. 

  • May 06, 2024

    Fashion Cos. Aim To Make FTC Define Market In Merger Suit

    Fashion companies Tapestry Inc. and Capri Holdings Ltd. have asked a New York federal court to order the Federal Trade Commission to define the proposed relevant market in its suit attempting to block the companies' planned $8.5 billion merger, saying they need a specific definition of the market in order to properly defend the deal.

  • May 06, 2024

    Chamber's Noncompete Challenge On Hold For Earlier Case

    A Texas federal court has paused the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's case challenging the Federal Trade Commission's pending ban on noncompetes and encouraged the group to join a case filed a day earlier by tax services and software company Ryan LLC.

  • May 06, 2024

    Ga. Judge Blows Whistle On Football Squad's League Flip

    After a false start last month, a Georgia federal judge on Monday granted an indoor football league's request to block one of its former teams from jumping ship and competing in the rival Arena Football League, adding to the AFL's growing troubles just two weeks into its season.

  • May 03, 2024

    Meta Asks 9th Circ. To Revisit Predominance In Ad Class Cert.

    Meta Platforms Inc. on Friday asked the Ninth Circuit to take a fresh look at a split panel decision affirming certification of a damages class of potentially millions of advertisers who were allegedly deceived about Facebook's "potential reach" tool, taking issue with the panel majority's "sweeping" interpretation of the predominance requirement.

  • May 03, 2024

    Judge Asks About Ad Quality As Google Search Trial Wraps

    The D.C. federal judge overseeing the government's search monopolization case against Google peppered attorneys from both sides on Friday during the final day of trial arguments about how to address Google's contention that it raises ad prices to coincide with product improvements.

  • May 03, 2024

    Hospital In Novant Merger Beset By Staff Turnover, Court Told

    The Federal Trade Commission and two healthcare companies used witness testimony Friday to paint competing pictures of a North Carolina hospital at the center of a $320 million merger dispute: one in which the hospital has focused on making quality improvements, and another where it's been plagued by poor ratings and high staff turnover.

  • May 03, 2024

    Goldman Settles Decade-Old Metal-Rigging Class Action

    Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has settled a decade-old putative class action claiming the investment bank and others conspired to manipulate platinum and palladium market values, according to a Friday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • May 03, 2024

    DOJ Seeks Info Sharing With Texas In Google Ad Tech Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice objected on Friday to a Virginia magistrate judge's refusal to coordinate discovery in its suit accusing Google of monopolizing key digital advertising technology with a similar case from state enforcers pending in Texas, contending the information sharing is needed to maintain a level playing field.

  • May 03, 2024

    Google Blasts Epic's Post-Verdict Play Store Reforms Bid

    Google is hitting back at Epic Games' proposed injunction following its jury win on antitrust claims related to the Google Play Store and Android apps, telling a California federal judge Thursday that Epic's proposed rules cover conduct that was not presented to the jury and is "purely hypothetical."

  • May 03, 2024

    Chamber Blasts FTC Bid For Member IDs In Noncompete Suit

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is defending its ability to represent anonymous members in its Texas federal suit challenging the Federal Trade Commission's pending noncompete ban, arguing that the FTC's attempt to block that representation is "radical and unprecedented."

  • May 03, 2024

    EU OKs Nippon-US Steel Deal As DOJ Causes Delayed Close

    The European Commission on Friday indicated via an annotation on its merger review page that it has given Nippon Steel's controversial $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel its unconditional approval, a move that comes just a day after the parties announced the deal would be delayed due to further scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • May 03, 2024

    Colo. Jury Hits Berkshire Unit With $7M Monopoly Verdict

    A Colorado federal jury on Friday awarded the rival of a Berkshire Hathaway-owned construction supplier $6.7 million for the larger company's monopolistic practices, hours after a judge scolded the Berkshire company's lawyer because he "crossed a line" during closings.

  • May 03, 2024

    Off The Bench: DraftKings, FIFA Warning, Charity Turmoil

    In this week's Off The Bench, DraftKings blocks a former executive from working at an emerging rival in the U.S., FIFA's transfer rules get flagged as a potential antitrust breach and the nonprofit marshaling donations to NFL safety Damar Hamlin sues its former counsel over media leaks.

  • May 03, 2024

    FTC Requests Additional Info On $16.5B Novo-Catalent Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission is seeking additional information on Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion acquisition of pharmaceutical services company Catalent in order to examine whether the blockbuster deal passes antitrust muster, according to a Friday securities filing.

  • May 03, 2024

    Robbins Geller Attys To Take Stand In $8M Sanctions Dispute

    A petroleum refiner will put current and former Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys on the stand May 7 in an extraordinary evidentiary hearing testing what the plaintiffs' lawyers knew about an analyst's now-discredited findings as they pursued since-nixed price-fixing claims.

  • May 03, 2024

    4th Circ. Preview: Hemp, Wells And A Withdrawal

    The Fourth Circuit's second session of 2024 will have the court pondering the tension between Virginia's recent hemp restrictions and federal regulations, and how the Truth in Lending Act impacts a case accusing PNC Bank of an unauthorized account withdrawal.

  • May 03, 2024

    UK Cites Regulatory Fears Over Utility's £89M Water Biz Buy

    The competition watchdog said on Friday that the proposed purchase of Sumisho Osaka Gas Water UK Ltd. by rival Pennon Group in a deal worth approximately £89 million ($112 million) could hinder government regulation of water companies in Britain.

  • May 03, 2024

    Exxon Closes $60B Pioneer Purchase After FTC Agreement

    Exxon Mobil Corp. said Friday that it has closed its $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources, one day after the Federal Trade Commission gave the oil giant a conditional green light to move ahead with the deal. 

  • May 03, 2024

    Cable Makers Must Face Class Action From UK Energy Customers

    Britain's antitrust court gave the go-ahead Friday for the former director of the U.K. gas regulator to lead a class action for millions of electricity customers in Britain against manufacturers of high-voltage power cables that are accused of fixing prices.

  • May 02, 2024

    7th Circ. Mostly Backs Ill. Home Health Kickbacks Judgment

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday largely left intact an Illinois federal judge's $6 million ruling that a home health care company broke federal kickback laws, refusing to reverse the lower court's liability finding but directing it to ensure its damages award was calculated correctly.

  • May 02, 2024

    Google Judge Ponders Search Engine's Might At Trial Closings

    The quality of Google's search engine, and what it would take to actually challenge the company's grip on default placements on Apple browsers and Android phones, were top of mind Thursday for the D.C. federal judge weighing U.S. Department of Justice monopolization allegations.

  • May 02, 2024

    DOJ Wants More Info On Controversial US Steel-Nippon Deal

    U.S. Steel revealed Thursday it has received a second request for information from the U.S. Department of Justice about its controversial plan to be sold to Japan's Nippon Steel Corp., but it said the deal is on track to be completed in the second half of this year. 

  • May 02, 2024

    NFL Throws Flag On Harvard Prof's Sunday Ticket Testimony

    An attorney for the NFL urged a California federal judge Thursday to limit testimony from a Harvard law professor set to appear for the plaintiffs in an upcoming antitrust lawsuit over the Sunday Ticket television package, saying his expert report veers into impermissible legal opinions that will confuse the jury.

  • May 02, 2024

    No Atty Fees For Objectors To $5.6B Swipe Fees Settlement

    Class members who initially objected to a $5.6 billion settlement with Visa and Mastercard cannot collect nearly $1 million in attorney fees, a New York federal judge ruled Thursday, saying they haven't shown their objections to the original 2013 settlement substantially benefited the class.

Expert Analysis

  • Antitrust Enforcers' Views On Info Exchanges Are Evolving

    Author Photo

    As antitrust enforcers' views on information exchanges between competing companies have matured in response to technological advances, companies would do well to reconsider whether the exchanges in which they participate meet the most recent compliance benchmarks, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks

    Author Photo

    Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.

  • The Epic Antitrust Cases And Challenges Of Injunctive Relief

    Author Photo

    The Epic cases against Apple and Google offer a window into the courts' considerable challenges in Big Tech litigation and establishing injunctive relief that enhances competition and benefits consumers, say Kelly Lear Nordby and Jon Tomlin at Ankura Consulting.

  • Decline In Same-Industry M&A Tells A Nuanced Policy Story

    Author Photo

    In light of newly available Hart-Scott-Rodino Act data suggesting that intraindustry mergers are down overall and pharmaceutical and hospital intraindustry transactions tend to face greater antitrust scrutiny than in the past, attorneys at Morgan Lewis explore whether Biden administration enforcement policies may be curbing pro-competitive strategic M&A.

  • Behind The 'CVR Spin' Method Of Unlocking Assets In M&A

    Author Photo

    The spinoff of contingent value rights, or the CVR spin, can unlock secondary and noncore assets in public mergers and acquisitions, while resolving the market dislocation of some traditional divestitures, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    European Union Criticisms Of The FCPA Are Misguided

    Author Photo

    Some in the European Union have criticized U.S. enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for what they perceive as jurisdictional overreach, but this appears to overlook the crucial fact that jurisdiction is voluntary, and critics should focus instead on the lack of equivalent laws in their own region, say John Joy and YuTong Wang at FTI Law.

  • 5 Models For Structuring Health Provider-Payor Partnerships

    Author Photo

    With recent data showing that the U.S. continues to spend more and get less for healthcare services compared to other industrialized nations, providers and payors should consider a variety of partnership structures that can help achieve the so-called triple aim of improving the health of individuals and populations while reducing per capita costs, says John Howard at Thompson Coburn.

  • Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment

    Author Photo

    As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.

  • Understanding Insurance Is Key To Limiting Antitrust Liability

    Author Photo

    As regulators signal their intent to continue last year's aggressive campaign of corporate antitrust litigation, businesses must make active management of their liability insurance policies, along with a firm knowledge of the limits of their coverage, central to their strategies for limiting the enormous financial risks of enforcement, say attorneys at Nossaman.

  • What FTC's 'Killer Acquisition' Theory Means For Pharma Cos.

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's recent lawsuit to block Sanofi's acquisition of a pharmaceutical treatment developed by Maze Therapeutics builds on previous enforcement actions and could indicate the agency's growing willingness to use its so-called killer acquisition theory against perceived attempts to eliminate nascent competition, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.

  • Assessing Chinese Cross-Border Data Transfers

    Author Photo

    Jet Deng and Ken Dai at Dacheng unpack the regulatory framework for cross-border data transfers in China, detailing the major systems at play, last year's policy adjustments, and an outlook and practice tips for businesses.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC

    Author Photo

    The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Opinion

    There Is No NCAA Supremacy Clause, Especially For NIL

    Author Photo

    A recent Tennessee federal court ruling illustrates the NCAA's problematic position that its member schools should violate state law rather than its rules — and the organization's legal history with the dormant commerce clause raises a fundamental constitutional issue that will have to be resolved before attorneys can navigate NIL with confidence, says Patrick O’Donnell at HWG.

  • Complying With Enforcers' Ephemeral Messaging Guidance

    Author Photo

    Given federal antitrust enforcers’ recently issued guidance on ephemeral messaging applications, organizations must take a proactive approach to preserving short-lived communications — or risk criminal obstruction charges and civil discovery sanctions, say attorneys at Manatt.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Competition archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!