Antitrust, Unfair Competition & Class Actions

Real Estate Broker Fee-Splitting Arrangements Draw $1.8 Billion Verdict
Growing pressure on sales practices includes DOJ probe. Case in Missouri is similar to another in Illinois set for trial next year. Damages have potential…

Antitrust Division Seeks Participation in Rental Software MDL
Case raises questions about competitors using algorithms to set prices. Interested in the matter’s Sherman Act implications, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division is…

FTC Sues to Force Total Wine’s Compliance in Antitrust Probe
Investigation cites pre-WWII amendment to the FTC Act. Marks at least second such pricing investigation this year. Both involve leading retailers and beverage companies.…

There’s No Antitrust in Baseball. But Why Not?
MLB’s century-old antitrust immunity under assault from several directions. Minor leagues teamed up after MLB severed affiliations, but Second Circuit ruled against them.…

European Antitrust Officials Continue Fashion Probe
EC concerned Cardin and manufacturer have been colluding for years. EC wants to know if companies engaged in “absolute territorial protection.” Companies allegedly…

Rubin Delivers Keynote Address to ATM Industry Trade Group
Rubin talks about class action to eliminate an unfairness in the broader economy. Las Vegas, NV (October 25, 2023) — Jonathan Rubin, Partner and co-founder…

DOJ Sues Pork and Poultry Industry Data Exchange Service
DOJ: Enabling competitive information swapping harms competition in this concentrated market. Citing the harm it causes consumers and grocery stores, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division…

Six More Platforms Must Show Compliance with EU’s Digital Markets Act
Signaling greater antitrust scrutiny in Europe, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, ByteDance (TikTok), Meta (Facebook), and Microsoft have earned designations as “gatekeepers” by the European Commission…

Real Estate Services Company Settles Two Antitrust Suits
Anywhere Real Estate has settled out of antitrust class action litigation brought by home sellers claiming the National Association of Realtors, Anywhere, and other major…

DOJ Continues Campaign Against Competitors Sharing Directors
More corporate directors have resigned in light of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s initiative to stop competitors from sharing corporate leadership. Two directors on…

Two More Companies Admit to Fixing Generic Drug Prices
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA have agreed to the terms demanded by the Department of Justice to resolve price-fixing charges against…

FTC, States Agree on Path Forward for Amgen’s Horizon Therapeutics Deal
Settlement said to resolve anticompetitive concerns over critical drugs. The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from six states – California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York,…

Jonathan Rubin to Discuss Class Certification on Nationwide CLE Webinar
Leading Antitrust Practitioners to Exchange Insights MoginRubin LLP Partner Jonathan Rubin is participating in a live Strafford webinar, titled “Class Certification: Guidance from Olean v.…

Revived: Antitrust Case Against Johns Manville for Abusing Calcium Silicate Monopoly Power
Company allegedly threatened to cut off distributors who sold rival products. A 2019 antitrust lawsuit against Berkshire Hathaway’s Johns Manville (JM) brought by rival calcium…

Amazon Investors Amazon Execs Hid Antitrust Troubles
Shareholders say Bezos and Execs Caused Them “Massive” Losses Two Amazon Inc. investors have filed a shareholder derivative lawsuit against Jeff Bezos and other senior…

Live Nation Must Litigate, Not Arbitrate, Consumer Antitrust Class Action
Adding to its woes, investors claim losses because Live Nation did not disclose anticompetitive conduct. Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster (“Live Nation”) have successfully…

Press Release re ATM Operators’ Class Action Against Visa, Mastercard
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE D.C. Appeals Court Affirms ATM Operators’ Class Certification in Antitrust Case Against Visa and Mastercard Decision moves forward class actions brought…

Illumina and GRAIL Violated European Merger Law
European Commission fines companies for merging without approval. Illumina, GRAIL consummate merger immediately after EC investigation began. Commission to decide whether the companies must…

Microsoft’s Activision Gaming Deal is Back On
Judge deals blow to FTC. U.S. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley has revived Microsoft’s $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition. The FTC wanted to put…

Broadcom’s VMware Deal Gets Green Light in EU
But examination of the deal continues in the US and UK. The European Union competition regulators today conditionally approved Broadcom‘s purchase of cloud…

Assessment of Big BioPharma Merger Under Way in US, EU, and UK
Would the combined company use improper tactics to foreclose competition? Review of the $43 billion biopharmaceutical merger of drug giant Pfizer Inc. and biopharmaceutical company…

FTC: Amgen-Horizon Deal Would Cement Monopoly for Treatment of Two Diseases
Commission pauses major biopharma transaction involving drugs priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. As part of the Federal Trade Commission’s promised campaign to…

MLB’s Antitrust Immunity is Safe, But Senators Want to Throw it Out
In Antitrust Law, MLB is in a League of Its Own In the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own,” Jimmy Dugan was the cranky…

Bill to Grant Limited Antitrust Immunity to Small News Pubs Advances in Senate
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to advance a bill that would give smaller news organizations limited antitrust immunity to negotiate content licensing deals…

Joy Sidhwa named one of San Diego Business Journal’s Women of Influence in Law for the third year in a row
MoginRubin celebrates Senior Counsel Joy Sidhwa and her recent recognition by San Diego Business Journal as a Woman of influence in Law! Congratulations on your…

MoginRubin LLP ranked in Legal500 for the fifth year in a row
MoginRubin has been ranked by The Legal 500 United States 2023 in the category of Antitrust and Civil Litigation/Class Action: Plaintiff. Along with the…

Partner Jonathan Rubin quoted in Law360’s coverage of PGA-LIV “tie up”proposal
The proposed “tie up” of the PGA Tour Inc. and LIV Golf Inc.’s operations may face scrutiny by the Department of Justice. The two organizations…

DOJ Investigating Google Maps, Plans Third Antitrust Lawsuit Against the Company, Reports Say
According to multiple news reports, the Department of Justice has revived its antitrust investigation against Alphabet Inc. and Google LLC over their Google Maps service…

Sanofi Announces $2.9 Billion Acquisition of BioPharma Diabetes Drug Maker
Paris-based Sanofi S.A. announced a definitive agreement to pay $2.9 billion for diabetes drug manufacturer Provention Bio, Inc., a U.S.-based, biopharmaceutical company focused on intercepting…

Judge Approves $75 Million Settlement of Generic Drug Antitrust Class Action
U.S. Judge Cynthia M. Rufe of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has approved a settlement in an antitrust class action brought by direct pharmaceutical purchasers…

Pricing Inflate-Gate: DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Holders Score Class Certification
Judge: Case “vividly points to the need for class treatment.” Football fans have secured class certification of their lawsuit claiming that they were charged inflated…

“I Knew You Were Trouble.” Taylor Swift Ticket Fiasco Cranks Up Ticketmaster Criticism
Live Nation-Ticketmaster Dominance: “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” Photo by Hanny Naibaho on Unsplash [Editor’s Note: Quoted phrases are titles of Taylor…

MoginRubin and its Attorneys recognized by National Law Review as 2022 Go To Thought Leaders
The National Law Review has recognized MoginRubin with a 2022 Go-To Thought Leadership award for their expertise in the field of antitrust law. Throughout the…

German Economist Sues OPEC as Illegal Cartel
Berlin-based professor of law and economics, Armin Steinbach, filed a lawsuit against OPEC in early November, accusing the organization of being an illegal cartel that…

EssilorLuxottica Fined $81.2 Million in France for Anti-Competitive Practices
If you are an eyewear customer there is a very good chance you’re also at least an indirect customer of this company. Eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica…

EU Commission Investigating Teva for Allegedly Interfering with Medication Research
Pharmaceutical company Teva is under investigation by the European Commission over their competition practices, which the commission says interferes with medication research. Teva held a…

CISPE.cloud Files Licensing Complaint Against Microsoft
In November of 2022, Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE) announced it was filing a formal complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission’s Directorate-General…

Antitrust Fines Against Apple and Amazon Scrapped in Italy
At the start of October, an Italian administrative court ruled that Apple and Amazon no longer have to pay a $225 million fine levied by…

EC Investigates Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Acquisition
The European Commission is putting the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger on hold as they investigate whether the deal will reduce competition among PC gaming…

Leaked: EU to Charge Meta/Facebook Over Secret Agreement with Google
While the European Commission announced back in March that they would investigate Facebook, sources have leaked that it is ready to announce formal charges, according…

France Fines Apple $1.2 Billion for ‘Running a Cartel’
French competition authority, Autorité de la Concurrence, fined Apple a record $1.2 billion after their investigation found that Apple and its wholesale partners, Ingram Micro…

Pfizer Completes $5.4 Billion Acquisition of Sickle Cell Disease Drug Innovator
Pfizer Inc. has acquired Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (GBT), a biopharmaceutical company whose leading product inhibits harmful medical conditions that lead to the relatively…

Amazon’s iRobot Acquisition Faces Shareholder and Consumer Resistance as FTC Investigates
iRobot Corp. shareholders approved Amazon.com, Inc.’s $1.7 billion purchase of the Roomba maker on Oct. 17, while a pre-trial conference in a suit brought by…

FTC, States Sue Pesticide Makers Over Exclusionary Schemes to Block Generics
Syngenta and Corteva used “loyalty programs” to cut off competition and inflate prices paid by farmers and consumers, suit says. The Federal Trade Commission and…

Partner Jennifer Oliver & Senior Counsel Joy Sidhwa Selected as SDBJ’s Top 100 Leaders in Law 2022
MoginRubin is honored to have Jennifer Oliver and Joy Sidhwa included in this year’s Top 100 Leaders in Law Awards by San Diego Business Journal.…

Adobe / Figma Merger Raises Antitrust Concerns
Would the deal usher in a new era of collaborative creativity or just a more powerful monopoly? Tech industry observers disagree on the potential impact…

Courts Reject Two DOJ Merger Challenges as Another is On Trial
A brief setback for Biden’s war on anticompetitive deals? The number of mergers globally in 2021, according to PwC, was the biggest on record with…

FTC Chair Touts Vigorous Antitrust Enforcement Despite Anemic Funding
Trump appointees say things were better during his term. Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan testified this week that despite being strapped for resources…

Google Alert: Antitrust Suits Coming Soon
Google awaits service in three countries over digital ad conduct. One of the first victims of the rapid tectonic shift in how the world consumes…

Amazon Abusing Dominance to Maintain Dominance, California AG Files Anticompetition Suit
Amazon dodges price competition with other e-commerce sites by forcing merchants into agreements that penalize them if their prices beat Amazon’s. That’s the crux of…

FTC Sues to Block Meta from Acquiring Leading VR Developer
FTC Accuses Meta of Trying to Further Dominate Virtual Reality Ecosystem via Acquisition. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit against Meta Platforms, Inc. (fka…

Google Must Defend Inform Advertising Antitrust Case After All
Eleventh Circuit disagrees that the complaint was an inadequate “shotgun pleading” against Google, YouTube and Alphabet. Handing Google LLC a reversal of fortune, the Eleventh…

Oracle Violating Numerous Privacy Laws, Class Action Says
Plaintiffs say Oracle collects and sells private data without citizens’ consent. A class action complaint filed in federal court in San Francisco claims Oracle…

Will Big Book Merger Go Through? It Will Soon Be Up to the Judge.
The fate of the $2.2 billion Penguin Random House (PRH) / Simon & Schuster (S&S) merger remains with U.S. District Judge Florence Pan who presided…

Federal Court Approves $2.67B Settlement of Antitrust Suit Against Blue Cross
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor of Alabama has approved the settlement of antitrust litigation brought against Blue Cross Blue Shield Association by large employers…

Partner Jennifer Oliver Quoted in Daily Journal’s Coverage of FTC’s Lawsuit Challenging Meta’s Acquisition of Within Limited
The Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit seeks an injunction against Meta Platforms Inc.’s acquisition of Within Limited. Their effort is to challenge Meta’s actions to dominate…

Credit Card Issuers File Antitrust Suit Against Apple for Exclusionary Conduct in Mobile Tap-and-Pay Market
Apple Operating an Illegal Monopoloy in Tap-and-Pay Market, Suit Says The convenience of the tap-and-pay mobile wallet model is a feature consumers increasingly enjoy for…

Gig Drivers Say Uber and Lyft Duopoly is Violating California Antitrust Laws
Independent Uber and Lyft drivers filed a class action against the rideshare pioneers last month alleging they are violating California antitrust and consumer protection law.…

Dan Mogin, Travis Miller Talk Supply Chains on Emerging Litigation Podcast
Dan Mogin of MoginRubin LLP and Travis Miller, General Counsel at Assent Compliance Inc., appeared on the Emerging Litigation Podcast to discuss a range of…

What’s So Funny About Peace, Love, and Antitrust?
Comedian John Oliver (no relation to MoginRubin antitrust attorney Jennifer Oliver, or so she claims) spent nearly a half hour of his show Last Week…

Amazon Shareholder Files Biometric Privacy and Antitrust Suit
Amazon shareholder Francis Gimbel, Jr. has sued Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s Board of Directors, and other company leaders in federal court in Washington for allegedly storing…

In the Wings? Increased Scrutiny on U.S. Investment in Chinese Technology and More Support for U.S. Manufacturing
On June 14, The Wall Street Journal first reported on a draft legislative measure that would require U.S. companies and investors to disclose and comply…

Partners Dan Mogin and Jennifer Oliver Named Daily Journal’s Top Plaintiff Lawyers 2022
The Team at MoginRubin are proud to honor Managing Partner Dan Mogin and Partner Jennifer Oliver who are recognized as Daily Journal’s Top Plaintiff Lawyers…

NYT’s Lead Economics Writer: Biden Needs Pro-Antitrust Economics Judges
At the end of April 2022, announcing President Joseph Biden’s latest round of federal judicial nominations, the White House hailed the nominees not only as…

Partner Jonathanan Rubin quoted in Bloomberg’s continued coverage of the Tuna Case
As tuna customers continue the fight against major tuna companies, Partner Jonathan Rubin weighs in on the potential effects the case may have on future…

MoginRubin LLP Listed As One of the Top Antitrust Firms in the Country
MoginRubin LLP is proud to announce that it continues to be one of the top antitrust law firms in the country, and is among the…

EC Adopts Vertical Deal Guidelines for Supply Chains
The European Commission has adopted new Vertical Block Exemption Regulations (‘VBER’) accompanied by new Vertical Guidelines, which will allow, subject to conditions, agreements between companies…
App Developer’s Antitrust Case Against Apple Looking Durable
Court Says Licensing Agreement Does Not Bar App Maker Litigation A federal judge has rejected Apple Inc.’s interpretation of its app licensing agreement in the…
DOJ: Wage-Fixing Antitrust Civil Case Should Survive Acquittals in Criminal Case
A federal court jury in Denver returned not guilty verdicts in the government’s criminal case against DaVita Inc. and its former CEO, in which the…

Partners Dan Mogin, Jonathan Rubin, Jennifer Oliver and Senior Counsel Joy Sidhwa Recognized as Thought Leading Authors by Mondaq
We are proud to announce that Partners Dan Mogin, Jonathan Rubin, Jennifer Oliver, and Senior Counsel Joy Sidhwa have been selected by Mondaq as Spring…

Fight Over 2010 Live Nation / Ticketmaster Merger Not Over Yet
Company served with a new lawsuit amid fresh calls to unwind. When concert promoting giant Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., and ticketing giant Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc.,…

In Price Restriction Litigation, Amazon Wins One, Loses One
Amazon.com Inc. started the month of March with two suits on opposite coasts challenging the rules it imposes on the platform’s merchants which prohibit them…

Hearing No Further Objections from the FTC, Amazon Buys MGM
Recommitted to fighting anticompetitive consolidation, the government could still challenge the deal. The Federal Trade Commission’s silence last week on Amazon’s acquisition of MGM –…

UK, EC Investigate Google / Facebook ‘Jedi Blue’ Agreement
The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the European Commission have launched investigations into whether Alphabet/Google and Meta/Facebook illegally conspired to hold their dominant…

House Judiciary Committee Says Amazon Obstructed and Lied to Congress, Seeks Investigation
The House Judiciary Committee has informed Attorney General Merrick Garland of “potentially criminal conduct” on the part of Amazon and its top executives. Detailed in…

Will We See More Criminal Charges Against Monopolies?
DOJ Official’s Remarks Seen as ‘Signal’ Government Will Use Criminal Charges to Fight Illegal Monopolies Remarks made by the DOJ’s Richard Powers at a March…

Amazon-MGM: Deal Approved in Europe, Now It’s Up to the FTC
Finding “no competition concerns,” antitrust regulators at the European Commission yesterday (March 15) approved Amazon’s $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM and its collection of some…

DOJ Sues to Block UnitedHealth / Change Healthcare Deal
Data continues to play key role in fight against anticompetitive mergers. Citing its potential to abuse the health insurance claims data it would amass, and…
Employees May Seek Damages for Violations of the Illinois BIPA
The Illinois Supreme Court held earlier this month (Feb. 3) in McDonald v. Symphony Bronzeville Park (2022 IL 126511) that the exclusivity provisions of the state’s…

FTC, Rhode Island AG Move to Block New England Healthcare Merger
The Federal Trade Commission and the Rhode Island Attorney General are using both administrative measures and litigation to stop the proposed merger of Lifespan Corp.…

Google’s YouTube Draws Antitrust Fines in Russia
You know things are bad when the Russian government says you’re abusing your power, acting surreptitiously, and restricting adjacent markets. But that’s the message Moscow…

Cellular Store Charges T-Mobile With Unfair Business Practices Following Merger with Sprint
A cellular franchise owner has sued T-Mobile in U.S. District Court in Connecticut for “fraudulent, predatory, and anti-competitive conduct.” Saying it was one of the…

Nvidia and SoftBank’s Arm Call Off Vertical Merger
Facing challenges from antitrust enforcers on three continents, U.S. microchip giant Nvidia Corp. has called off its acquisition of British computer processing designer Arm Ltd.,…
Frontier/Spirit Merger Would Stiffen Competition Against Big Four Fliers
Spirit Airlines, Inc. and Frontier Airlines, Inc., today (Feb. 7) announced a merger they say will save consumers $1 billion a year while flying aboard…

FTC Sues to Torpedo Lockheed’s $4.4 Billion Aerojet Acquisition
Marking the first time in decades that it has sued to block a defense industry merger, the Federal Trade Commission on Jan. 25, 2022 filed…

Elite University Cartel Conspired to Limit Financial Aid, Students Charge in Class Action
“Privileging the wealthy and disadvantaging the financially needy are ‘inextricably linked.’” Student recipients of need-based financial aid brought a class action against 16 elite…

Aerospace Execs Indicted for Conspiracy to Limit Worker Pay and Job Prospects
A federal grand jury in Connecticut returned an indictment last month charging a former manager of leading aerospace engineering company Pratt & Whitney, Inc., and…

EC Fines Banks Over Currency Trading Cartel
The European Commission has fined UBS, Barclays, RBS, HSBC and Credit Suisse €344 million ($390 million) for participating in a Foreign Exchange spot-trading cartel. UBS,…

Partner Jennifer Oliver Selected by The National Law Review as 2021 Go To Thought Leader
We are proud to announce that Partner Jennifer Oliver has been selected by The National Law Review as a 2021 Go To Thought Leader in…

MoginRubin Year in Review – 2021
We would like to thank our friends, colleagues, and wonderful Team for another incredible year. As the pandemic continued to impact businesses, MoginRubin remained committed…

Partner Dan Mogin Quoted in FTCWatch
Partner Daniel Mogin was quoted today in an FTCWatch article titled, “As FTC examines supply chain woes, don’t expect much action,” addressing his thoughts on…

MoginRubin LLP Selected as FINALIST for 2022 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Awards for Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion
MoginRubin is honored to be selected as a FINALIST for the 2022 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Awards in the category: Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion.…
Democrats Seek Investigation of $43M Discovery, WarnerMedia Merger
Thirty-three U.S. representatives and senators, all Democrats, have asked the Department of Justice to investigate the proposed merger of two media giants, Discovery Inc. and…
Facing FTC Probe, Outdoor Equipment Companies Cancel Merger
The FTC says that the mere threat of an investigation has caused two merging parties to think again. Two popular outdoors equipment retailers — Great…
DOJ Sues to Block Sugar Deal
The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice says United States Sugar Corp.’s proposed purchase of Imperial Sugar Company harm competition for refined sugar across…

Partner Daniel Mogin Named “Top Antitrust Lawyer of 2021” by the L.A. Daily Journal
We are proud to announce that Daniel Mogin, our Managing Partner, has been selected to the Top Antitrust Lawyers of 2021 list by the L.A.…

Partner Jennifer Oliver Selected as a FINALIST in SDBJ Leaders in Law Awards 2021
We are proud to announce that MoginRubin Partner Jennifer Oliver has been selected as a Finalist by the San Diego Business Journal for their 2021…

Partner Jennifer Oliver Presenting at ABA Webinar “CCPA Thus Far: Enforcement” on October 19, 2021
On October 19th, Partner Jennifer Oliver will be presenting at the American Bar Association’s webinar, “CCPA Thus Far: Enforcement.” Join Ms. Oliver and Jeewon Serrato,…

FTC Withdraws Vertical Merger Guidelines as “Unsupported by Law and Reality”
The Federal Trade Commission has withdrawn its 2020 Vertical Merger Guidelines and accompanying commentary to “prevent industry and judicial reliance on unsound economic theories” that…

Partner Jennifer Oliver Will be Panelist at Upcoming NetDiligence Cyber Risk Summit
Partner Jennifer Oliver will be presenting at the NetDiligence® Cyber Risk Summit in Santa Monica, CA on October 5th regarding Data Privacy Enforcement. Learn more and register…