In In re: TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litigation, Northern District of California jury awarded Best Buy Co. $75 million in damages against HannStar Display Corp., finding that HannStar participated in an Asia-based conspiracy to fix prices on LCD panels. The jury’s award is a fraction of the $770 million Best Buy sought in its suit […]
Category Archives: US Federal Courts
Court Awards Best Buy $75 million in Damages After an LCD Price Fixing Trial
September 19, 2013 – 2:50 pm
Court Refuses to Dismiss a Multimillion Dollar Antitrust Suit Against a Prom Dress Maker
September 19, 2013 – 1:44 pm
In Hannah’s Boutique Inc. v. Surdej et al., Northern District of Illinois Judge Amy J. St. Eve denied dress seller Peaches Boutique’s motion to dismiss a multimillion dollar suit against it. In this suit, an upstart dress seller Hannah’s Boutique Inc. accused Peaches of violating U.S. antitrust laws by using its dominant position in the […]
Fifth Circuit Overturns a $25 Million Fine Against Chicken Producer
September 19, 2013 – 1:25 pm
In Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. v. Agerton et al., Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a $25 million judgment against Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., holding that the chicken producer did not violate the U.S. antitrust laws when it decided to shut down its Arkansas plant in order to increase poultry prices. In 2011, Texas federal judge […]
US Supreme Court Permits Antitrust Challenges to Reverse Payment Settlements
September 8, 2013 – 11:40 am
In FTC v. Actavis, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a settlement in a patent infringement case in which the patent holder pays money to the alleged infringer not to introduce its product into the market could violate the antitrust laws under the Rule of Reason. The Court rejected the scope-of-the-patent doctrine that had been adopted […]
Court Denies Both Parties’ Summary Judgment Motions in Neurontin MDL
August 21, 2013 – 12:16 pm
In In Re Neurontin Antitrust Litigation, New Jersey District Court Judge Faith S. Hochberg denied both parties’ motions for summary judgment, saying there are many factual disputes that must be resolved. In this multidistrict suit, direct purchaser plaintiffs, including CVS Pharmacy Inc., Rite Aid Corp., Louisiana Wholesale Drug Co. Inc., and Meijer Inc., accuse Pfizer […]
Bar on Non-Dentists Offering Teeth Whiting Not Immune from Antitrust Challenge
July 12, 2013 – 4:15 pm
In North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rejected the North Carolina dental board’s assertion of state action immunity for cease-and-desist letters that it sent to non-dentists providing teeth-whitening services. The court held that the state did not sufficiently supervise the ban. […]
Indirect Purchaser Claims Dismissed/Direct Purchaser Claims to Move Forward in Multi-District Auto Parts Antitrust Litigation
July 3, 2013 – 11:14 am
In In re: Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation, Eastern District of Michigan Judge Marianne Batani dismissed some indirect purchaser claims, but retained direct purchaser claims, in multidistrict litigation in which the plaintiffs accuse auto parts makers of rigging bids and fixing prices on automotive wiring harnesses. The court found sufficient allegations of a conspiracy with respect […]
Allegations that Copyright Owners Conspired to Restrain Competition Dismissed
July 3, 2013 – 11:11 am
In Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. v. American Home Realty Network Inc. et al., District of Maryland Alexander Williams Jr. dismissed antitrust claims arising in a copyright infringement case. The court held that the defendant real estate referral service did not plausibly allege that the plaintiff conspired to file sham copyright infringement suits intended to […]