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Competition
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May 06, 2024
Biotech Co. Wants To Appeal Red Cross Antitrust Immunity
A biotech company has told a Massachusetts federal court that giving the American Red Cross immunity from claims that it smothered competition in the platelet bacteria mitigation market is unprecedented and leaves the organization free to fix prices or buy up its competitors.
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May 06, 2024
FCC Only Commits To Normal Review Of Soros-Audacy Deal
The FCC has informed two Republican lawmakers worried about Soros Fund Management's acquisition of an ownership interest in radio station owner Audacy that it will conduct a regular license review, but stopped short of promising the foreign ownership review that the legislators want due to their concerns about the fund's "deeply partisan" billionaire owner.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Expect An Increase In Robinson-Patman Act Enforcement
Recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission and prominent lawmakers should be viewed as a harbinger of renewed scrutiny of price discrimination in all industries and a sign that Robinson-Patman Act investigations and enforcement actions are likely to see an uptick, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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The Drawbacks Of Banking Regulators' Merger Review Plans
Recent proposals for bank merger review criteria by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. share common pitfalls: increased likelihood of delays, uncertainties, and new hurdles to transactions that could impede the long-term safety and soundness of the banks involved, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Opinion
The FTC's Noncompete Rule Is Likely Dead On Arrival
The Federal Trade Commission's April 23 noncompete ban ignores the consequences to the employees it claims to help — but the rule is unlikely to go into effect provided the ideological makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court remains the same, say Erik Weibust and Stuart Gerson at Epstein Becker.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: April Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses three notable circuit court decisions on topics from the Class Action Fairness Act to consumer fraud — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including CAFA’s local controversy exception and Article III standing to seek injunctive relief.
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McKesson May Change How AKS-Based FCA Claims Are Pled
The Second Circuit’s analysis in U.S. v. McKesson, an Anti-Kickback Statute-based False Claims Act case, provides guidance for both relators and defendants parsing scienter-related allegations, say Li Yu at Dicello Levitt, Ellen London at London & Stout, and Erica Hitchings at Whistleblower Law.
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Series
Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.
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Deciding What Comes At The End Of WTO's Digital Tariff Ban
Companies that feel empowered by the World Trade Organization’s recent two-year extension of the ban on e-commerce tariffs should pay attention to current negotiations over what comes after the moratorium expires, as these agreements will define standards in international e-commerce for years to come, say Jan Walter, Hannes Sigurgeirsson and Kulsum Gulamhusein at Akin Gump.
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FTC Noncompete Ban Signals Rising Labor Focus In Antitrust
The Federal Trade Commission’s approval this week of a prohibition on noncompete agreements continues antitrust enforcers’ increasing focus on labor, meaning companies must keep employee issues top of mind both in the ordinary course of business and when pursuing transactions, say attorneys at Skadden.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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Behind Indiana's Broad New Healthcare Transactions Law
The high materiality threshold in Indiana's recently passed healthcare transaction law, coupled with the inclusion of private equity in its definition of healthcare entities, makes it one of the broadest state review regulations to date, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Highlights From The 2024 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting
U.S. merger enforcement and cartels figured heavily in this year's American Bar Association spring antitrust meeting, where one key takeaway included news that the Federal Trade Commission's anticipated changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino form may be less dramatic than many originally feared, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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What FERC's Disclosure Demands Mean For Cos., Investors
Two recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders reflect the commission's increasingly meticulous approach to reviewing corporate structures in applications for approval of proposed consolidations, acquisitions or changes in control — putting the onus on the regulated community to track and comply with ever-more-burdensome disclosure requirements, say attorneys at Willkie.
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Clemson's ACC Exit Fee Suit May Have Major Consequences
Clemson University's recent suit in South Carolina state court against the Atlantic Coast Conference, which challenges the ACC's $140 million exit fee and its ownership of member schools' media rights, would likely have enormous ramifications for ACC members in the event of a definitive court ruling, say William Sullivan and Alex Anderson at Pillsbury.
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FDIC Bank Merger Reviews Could Get More Burdensome
Recently proposed changes to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. bank merger review process would expand the agency's administrative processes, impose new evidentiary burdens on parties around competitive effects and other statutory approval factors, and continue the trend of long and unpredictable processing periods, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.