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Competition
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April 04, 2024
Judge Recuses Herself From Cartel Case Over Exxon Stock
A Nevada federal judge has recused herself from a batch of antitrust lawsuits claiming U.S. shale oil producers colluded with OPEC to drive up prices at the pump, citing her ownership of a "significant" amount of Exxon Mobil Corp. stock.
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April 04, 2024
MLB's Athletics To Play In Sacramento Before Move To Vegas
The Oakland Athletics will play the 2025 to 2027 seasons in Sacramento's 14,000-capacity minor-league ballpark while their planned stadium in Las Vegas is built, the franchise and Major League Baseball announced Thursday morning, officially making this season the team's last in Oakland after 57 years.
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April 04, 2024
Boston Scientific's $3.7B Axonics Buy Under FTC Microscope
Biomedical engineering company Boston Scientific Corp. on Thursday disclosed that the Federal Trade Commission requested more information on its planned $3.7 billion acquisition of medical technology company Axonics, which will result in a delay in the deal's closing.
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April 04, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: Alphabet, Honeywell, Syngenta IPO
Google parent Alphabet is exploring whether to make an offer to acquire software company HubSpot; Chinese regulators encouraged pesticides giant Syngenta to pull its $9 billion IPO over concerns it could unsettle China's volatile market, and Honeywell wants to sell its personal protective equipment unit. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.
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April 04, 2024
Stagecoach Poised To Settle In £93M Train Ticket Class Action
Train operator Stagecoach is seeking to end its role in a £93 million ($118 million) collective action brought on behalf of passengers who allegedly paid double for their journeys, documents published by the Competition Appeal Tribunal on Thursday reveal.
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April 04, 2024
UK Deepens Probe Into Vodafone-Three Telecoms Merger
Britain's antitrust authority said Thursday that it has launched an in-depth probe into plans by Vodafone and Three to merge their U.K. telecommunications networks to create a £16.5 billion ($21 billion) mobile operator after the companies failed to alleviate competition concerns.
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April 03, 2024
FTC Won't Overlook 'Unanticipated' Harms, Slaughter Says
The Federal Trade Commission won't hesitate to go after companies and their executives that fail to take steps to address the broad range of privacy harms and other risks that can arise from the emergence of new digital technologies, particularly in the wake of a recent federal court ruling that backed this theory, Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said Wednesday.
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April 03, 2024
Antitrust Suits Remain Low Despite Slight 2023 Spike
Federal enforcers and private plaintiffs filed more new antitrust cases last year than the year before but the slight uptick still kept 2023 as the second lowest in a decade, according to a new Lex Machina report.
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April 03, 2024
2nd Circ. Told FIFA Bribery Convictions Rightly Nixed
A former 21st Century Fox television executive and an Argentine sports marketing company told the Second Circuit that a lower court was right to toss their convictions related to the FIFA corruption scandal, contending that U.S. law does not reach foreign commercial bribery.
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April 03, 2024
Hawaii Bio Power Co. Can't Add Merger-Based Antitrust Claims
A Hawaii federal magistrate judge has refused to permit the addition of new allegations, based on a 2017 fossil fuel plant acquisition, to a recently restarted lawsuit accusing the state's largest power company of anticompetitively canceling a contract for a new biomass energy plant.
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April 03, 2024
Apple Blasts Input From Microsoft, Meta, Others In Epic Case
Apple asked a California federal judge Wednesday to reject attempts by Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Spotify and other major developers to insert themselves into Epic Games' argument that the iPhone maker is not complying with an order barring it from using anti-steering rules in the App Store.
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April 03, 2024
US Soccer Urges High Court To Hear Antitrust Fight
The U.S. Soccer Federation on Wednesday once again asked the U.S. Surpeme Court to review the Second Circuit's decision reviving an antitrust lawsuit against it and FIFA, arguing that the government's opposition to the federation's petition failed to defend an "extreme membership liability" imposed by the circuit court ruling.
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April 03, 2024
Mortgage Co. Targeted In News Report Hit With RICO Suit
United Wholesale Mortgage LLC, its parent company and its CEO were hit with a proposed class action Tuesday in Michigan federal court accusing them of scheming with mortgage brokers to steer borrowers into more expensive loans the same day that Hunterbrook Media, a new journalism and hedge fund outfit, published its first investigative piece focused on the company.
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April 03, 2024
Google's Win In Ad Tech Antitrust MDL To Get 2nd Circ. Look
A group of Massachusetts-based gym and spa businesses informed a New York federal judge Wednesday they will be taking to the Second Circuit their challenge of the judge's order dismissing their antitrust claims in multidistrict litigation over Google's alleged monopoly in digital advertising.
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April 03, 2024
EU Probing Solar Project Under Foreign Subsidy Rules
European enforcers launched a pair of investigations Wednesday to assess whether companies bidding on a solar project in Romania received an unfair advantage through foreign subsidies.
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April 03, 2024
FCC Adopts Contested New Radio Geotargeting Rules
Two members of the Federal Communications Commission said new rules allowing hyper-local targeting of radio broadcast content will help small and minority-owned stations after the agency passed them despite worries from larger broadcasters.
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April 03, 2024
Epoxy Cos. Say Unfair Trade Threatens Crucial Domestic Industry
Epoxy resin producers have called on U.S. officials to investigate rivals in Asia for unfair trade practices, arguing Wednesday that an influx of allegedly undervalued imports is threatening the domestic supply of an item with automotive, electronic and defense applications.
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April 03, 2024
Anheuser-Busch 'Choking Off' Beer Supply, Distributor Says
A New York beer distributor accused Anheuser-Busch InBev of slowly cutting off its supply using force that could only be exerted by such a "corporate behemoth," according to a suit filed in Manhattan federal court.
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April 03, 2024
Oil Company Says Judge's Recusal Not Needed In Cartel Suits
Pioneer Natural Resources Co. fired back at gasoline buyers' attempt to recuse a Nevada federal judge from the parties' antitrust litigation over her stock ownership in ExxonMobil Corp., arguing that the company isn't a party to the case, and that the litigation should be transferred to Texas.
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April 03, 2024
FCC To Vote On Net Neutrality Plan At Late April Meeting
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday the agency will vote April 25 on a Democratic proposal floated in October to restore net neutrality rules last imposed on internet services during the Obama administration, but repealed by Republicans in 2017.
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April 02, 2024
Jon Stewart Reveals Apple's Heavy Hand In Lina Khan Chat
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan appeared on "The Daily Show" on Monday night for a wide-ranging conversation in which host Jon Stewart revealed that Apple wouldn't allow him to speak with her on a podcast related to his Apple TV+ show.
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April 02, 2024
Broadcasters Gear Up For FCC Fight Over 'Sidecar' Deals
The Federal Communications Commission's recent effort to fine broadcast titan Nexstar more than $1 million over a "sidecar" arrangement with a New York TV station reflects tensions between the FCC and the industry over complex ownership deals going back years.
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April 02, 2024
2 More Poultry Cos. Settle Wage-Fixing Suit
Poultry processing workers sought preliminary approval Monday for deals with Case Foods Inc. and Mountaire Farms totaling $22 million that would make the companies the 10th and 11th wage-fixing defendants to settle out of a broader Maryland federal court case where total payouts reach $217.25 million.
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April 02, 2024
Amazon, Apple Buyers Defend Adding New Class Reps
Attorneys for a proposed antitrust class action against Apple and Amazon say the tech giants are being unreasonable by trying to stop them from adding new class representatives to the case after the initial delegate stopped talking with his legal team.
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April 02, 2024
Tesla Pushed On La. Antitrust Claims In 5th Circ.
Tesla Inc.'s claims that Louisiana car dealers and regulators illegally excluded the direct-sale automaker from the state's market met a Fifth Circuit panel Tuesday that questioned how the case might be impacted by a Pelican State probe into the company's allegedly unlawful conduct.
Expert Analysis
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5 AI Risks For Corporate Boards To Examine
Whether companies are building their own artificial intelligence technology or leveraging third-party tools, their directors should get educated on certain legal issues and business risks to ensure the adoption of policies that foster responsible use of generative AI, say James Gatto and Tiana Garbett at Sheppard Mullin.
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10 Global Antitrust Trends To Anticipate In 2024
Proactive navigation of the antitrust enforcement environment remains crucial this year as legal policy and tools evolve to meet intensifying global economic complexity, including geopolitical tensions, trade realignment, market volatility and inflation, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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Global Cartel Enforcement Looks Set To Intensify In 2024
The cartel enforcement winds may strengthen this year, with the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as regulators in other countries, placing a renewed focus on pursuing international cartels and more traditional, hard-core cartel conduct, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Series
Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.
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Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?
Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.
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What Can Be Learned From Adobe-Figma Merger Termination
The Competition and Markets Authority’s role in the recent termination of the proposed Adobe-Figma merger deal indicates the regulator's intention to be seen as a strong enforcer in the technology sphere, and serves as a warning for companies to address antitrust risks early on in the merger process, say Deirdre Taylor and Molly Heslop at Gibson Dunn.
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7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
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2 FCPA Settlements Illuminate Self-Disclosure, Disgorgement
Two of last year’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements — with biomedical company Lifecore and mining company Corsa Coal — suggest that the government will be much more flexible in negotiating disgorgement amounts if an entity voluntarily self-discloses misconduct, say Michael Gilbert and Lucas Amodio at Sheppard Mullin.
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Financing Healthcare Deals In Uncertain Markets This Year
As challenges to closing and financing new deals prevail into 2024, lenders in new healthcare transactions are talking about alternative approaches for sponsors to consider, such as private credit alternatives and utilization of junior capital, say attorneys at McDermott.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024
Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
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5 NLRA Changes To Make Nonunion Employers Wary In 2024
As the National Labor Relations Board continues pushing an aggressive pro-union agenda and a slate of strict workplace rules, nonunion employers should study significant labor law changes from 2023 to understand why National Labor Relations Act compliance will be so crucial to protecting themselves in the new year, say attorneys at Hunton.
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Expect National Security Scrutiny Of Higher Ed To Continue
In 2023, the federal government significantly elevated the national security responsibilities of academic communities, so universities and research laboratories should take a more rigorous approach to research partnerships, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Antitrust And ESG: Maximizing Targets, Ensuring Compliance
Jennifer McAlpin at Verizon and Michaela Spero at Amadeus consider the convergence of antitrust and environmental, social and corporate governance factors, providing an executive overview of areas to watch, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as practical implementation tips for general counsel.
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What To Know About FCA Cybersecurity Enforcement
Now is a good time for practitioners, government contractors and potential relators to review recent developments in cybersecurity-related False Claims Act enforcement, and consider best practices for navigating this space in the new year, say Ellen London at London & Stout, and Li Yu and Molly Knobler at DiCello Levitt.
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Opinion
Noncompete Report Misinterpreted Critique Of FTC Proposal
A recent report on core questions surrounding the use of employee noncompete agreements published by the Economic Innovation Group misconstrues our stated views on the issue — and we stand behind our conclusion that the Federal Trade Commission made misrepresentations when proposing a rule to ban such provisions nationwide, say Erik Weibust and Stuart Gerson at Epstein Becker.