SCL attorneys have prosecuted and defended some of the most significant U.S. antitrust class actions ever litigated.
Our practice covers every facet of class actions, from investigations and class certification to settlement, trials and appeals. We maintain long-standing relationships with leading antitrust academics and consultants, which enable us to stay atop the evolving class action bar.
Key cases:
SCL attorneys helped secure a landmark $3 billion settlement, which included injunctive relief valued by the district court between $25 million and $87 billion and required Visa and Mastercard to repeal the core restraint at issue, their policy of tying debit card acceptance to credit card acceptance.
SCL attorneys helped lead this decade-long litigation, resulting in more than $1.2 billion for plaintiffs. In a case referred to by the court as “irrefutably complex,” SCL attorneys represented businesses that purchased airfreight services directly from defendants, many of the world’s largest airlines. The case alleged a global conspiracy to unlawfully inflate the prices charged to ship goods.
SCL attorneys served as co-lead counsel in litigation against Wells Fargo and National General Insurance Company over allegations that they force-placed duplicative and unnecessary insurance on auto loan customers in violation of federal racketeering and state competition laws. Plaintiffs obtained $432 million in settlements plus substantial relief for Wells Fargo customers.
SCL attorneys serve as counsel for a class of businesses and individuals challenging a hospital system’s exploitation of its dominance to drive up health care costs. Mathew Cantor serves as lead trial counsel for the class. To date, SCL attorneys have successfully appeared in the Ninth Circuit three times, securing two favorable reversals.
SCL attorneys served as co-lead counsel and secured settlements exceeding $118 million on behalf of U.S. contact lens purchasers. The settlements resolved an expansive antitrust class action against the four dominant contact lens manufacturers and the largest nationwide distributor for imposing minimum retail prices for many popular brands.
As court-appointed interim lead counsel, SCL attorneys reached a settlement worth up to $28 million for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and a proposed class of health plans alleging that so-called Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli and his former companies illegally monopolized the market for Daraprim. The once-affordable lifesaving drug increased in price by more than 4,000% under Shkreli’s leadership.
SCL attorneys secured a settlement of nearly $7.2 million in a class action against a Florida cancer treatment center and its president for alleged monopolization of oncology services in southwest Florida.
In August 2022, SCL attorneys reached a seven-figure settlement in an antitrust class action for plaintiffs who bought or sold gold, silver, platinum and palladium futures and options on such contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange and Commodity Exchange.
SCL attorneys served as lead defense counsel in a putative nationwide antitrust class action for fluid-handling equipment manufacturer Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota Inc. The allegations included unlawful business acquisitions and boycott, exclusive-dealing and monopolization conspiracies involving the sale and distribution of spray foam insulation equipment. SCL attorneys obtained the dismissal of all claims with prejudice.
As part of the executive committee, SCL attorneys recovered more than $430 million in settlements for a proposed class of plaintiffs that purchased polyurethane foam directly from the defendants. Plaintiffs alleged that defendants conspired to unlawfully fix the prices of the raw material incorporated into bedding, furniture cushions, automotive parts, shipping products, medical devices, footwear and toys.
SCL attorneys serve as court-appointed co-lead counsel on behalf of a putative class that alleges defendants conspired to drive up the prices of replacement tires in the United States following decreased demand during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This litigation is ongoing.
SCL attorneys are part of the court-appointed plaintiffs’ steering committee in an antitrust class action against the largest owners of local television stations in the United States, with revenues exceeding $28 billion. Our team filed one of the first complaints following the Department of Justice investigation into potential antitrust violations in local television ad sales. Plaintiffs reached settlements with CBS, Fox and Cox Media for a total of $48 million. Litigation remains ongoing.
SCL attorneys serve as court-appointed co-lead counsel for direct purchasers of Merck’s mumps vaccine. Plaintiffs allege that Merck unlawfully monopolized the U.S. market by engaging in a decade-long scheme to exclude competing manufacturers. In July 2023, plaintiffs defeated Merck’s summary judgment motion. Litigation remains ongoing.
SCL attorneys represent a proposed class of individuals and entities in the United States compensated for broiler grow-out services by major poultry companies, including Tyson Foods, Inc., Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, Perdue Farms, Inc., Koch Foods, Inc. and Sanderson Farms, Inc. Plaintiffs have reached settlements totaling $169 million. Litigation remains ongoing.
SCL attorneys serve as court-appointed interim co-lead counsel on behalf of plaintiffs who allege Axon has unlawfully monopolized the markets for body-worn camera systems and long-range conducted energy weapons, such as Tasers, including related equipment and services. Plaintiffs also allege decade-long unlawful noncompete, market allocation and no-poach agreements among Axon and its former competitor, Safariland.
SCL attorneys serve as co-lead counsel on behalf of a putative class of consumers and businesses that purchased consumer products or household goods that contained fragrance products that were allegedly price fixed. Litigation is ongoing.