The Ninth Circuit has held that a putative class of nationwide consumers that brought damages claims under California law was erroneously certified. Until now, class actions asserting claims for plaintiffs across the country...more
On May 13, 2019, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the views of the U.S. Solicitor General, the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, and the Federal Trade Commission when it kept alive a putative class...more
More than 40 years ago, the Supreme Court determined that efficient enforcement of the Sherman Act required a bright-line rule, with very limited exceptions, barring antitrust claims by "indirect purchasers"—end customers who...more
For over 40 years, the Supreme Court has barred, with very limited exceptions, indirect purchasers— end customers who purchase products through an intermediate source—from seeking federal antitrust damages. But Andrew Finch,...more
A federal judge in California has refused to allow indirect purchasers of semiconductor chips—i.e., cell phone consumers—to bring claims against Qualcomm under federal antitrust law....more
Originally published in Competition Law360 on January 25, 2013. Consumers seeking to recover for economic harm caused by anti-competitive conduct often run headlong into the so-called Illinois Brick wall: Antitrust...more