Antitrust

• In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litig., 05 MDL No. 1720 (E.D.N.Y.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys are co-lead counsel in a case that has resulted in preliminary approval of the largest-ever antitrust class action settlement.  If approved, merchants that sued Visa, MasterCard and their member banks will recover approximately $7.2 billion, in addition to injunctive relief. Class plaintiffs alleged that the defendants’ collective imposition of rules governing payment card acceptance violates federal and state antitrust laws. 
• In re Currency Conversion Fee Antitrust Litig., 01 MDL No. 1409 (S.D.N.Y.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys recovered $336 million for credit and debit cardholders in this multi-district litigation in which the Firm served as co-lead counsel. Plaintiffs alleged that Visa and MasterCard, and certain leading member banks of Visa and MasterCard, conspired to fix and maintain the foreign currency conversion fee charged to United States cardholders, and failed to disclose adequately the fee in violation of federal law. In October 2009, the trial court granted final approval of the $336 million settlement and described the Firm as a “highly competent and experienced” law firm. The court specifically commented: “Class Counsel provided extraordinarily high-quality representation. This case raised a number of unique and complex legal issues including the effect of arbitration clauses on consumer antitrust class actions, and collusive activity in the context of joint ventures.” The court further praised the Firm as “indefatigable” and noted that the Firm's lawyers “represented the Class with a high degree of professionalism, and vigorously litigated every issue against some of the ablest lawyers in the antitrust defense bar.” 
• The Apple iPod iTunes Antitrust Litig., Case No. C-05-00037-JW (N.D. Cal.). The Firm is lead counsel for a class of iPod purchasers who challenged Apple's use of iPod software and firmware updates to prevent consumers who purchased music from non-Apple sources from playing it on their iPods. Apple's conduct resulted in monopolies in the digital music and portable digital music player markets and enabled the company to charge inflated prices for millions of iPods.  The certified class includes individuals and businesses that purchased iPods directly from Apple between September 12, 2006 and March 31, 2009. The court has denied in part Apple's motion for summary judgment. Plaintiffs expect to try the case in late 2013.
• In re Aftermarket Automotive Lighting Products Antitrust Litig., MDL No. 2007 (C.D. Cal.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys are co-lead counsel in this multi-district litigation in which plaintiffs allege that defendants conspired to fix prices and allocate markets for automotive lighting products.  Settlements of $25.45 million have been reached with four defendants. Commenting on the quality of representation, the Court commended the Firm for "expend[ing] substantial and skilled time and efforts in an efficient manner to bring this action to conclusion." Trial is expected to commence against the remaining defendants in September 2013.
• Dahl v. Bain Capital Partners, LLC, MDL No. 1023 (S.D.N.Y.). Case No. 07-cv-12388-EFH (D. Mass). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys are co-lead counsel on behalf of shareholders in this action against the nation’s largest private equity firms who have colluded to restrain competition to suppress prices paid to shareholders of public companies in connection with leveraged buyouts. The trial court denied in part the defendants’ motion for summary judgment.
• In re Digital Music Antitrust Litig., 06 MDL No. 1780 (S.D.N.Y.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys are co-lead counsel in an action against the major music labels (Sony-BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner Music Group) in a case involving music that can be downloaded digitally from the Internet. Plaintiffs allege that defendants restrained the development of digital downloads and agreed to fix the distribution price of digital downloads at supracompetitive prices. Plaintiffs also allege that as a result of defendants’ restraint of the development of digital downloads, and the market and price for downloads, defendants were able to maintain the prices of their CDs at supracompetitive levels. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld plaintiffs’ complaint, reversing the trial court’s dismissal. Discovery is ongoing.
• In re NASDAQ Market-Makers Antitrust Litig., MDL No. 1023 (S.D.N.Y.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys served as co-lead counsel in this case in which investors alleged that NASDAQ market-makers set and maintained artificially wide spreads pursuant to an industry-wide conspiracy. After three and one half years of intense litigation, the case settled for a total of $1.027 billion, at the time the largest ever antitrust settlement. The court commended counsel for its work, saying:

Counsel for the Plaintiffs are preeminent in the field of class action litigation, and the roster of counsel for the Defendants includes some of the largest, most successful and well regarded law firms in the country. It is difficult to conceive of better representation than the parties to this action achieved.

In re NASDAQ Market-Makers Antitrust Litig., 187 F.R.D. 465, 474 (S.D.N.Y. 1998).

• Hall v. NCAA (Restricted Earnings Coach Antitrust Litigation), Case No. 94-2392-KHV (D. Kan.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys served as lead counsel and lead trial counsel for one of three classes of coaches who alleged that the National Collegiate Athletic Association illegally fixed their compensation by instituting the “restricted earnings coach” rule. On May 4, 1998, the jury returned verdicts in favor of the three classes for more than $70 million.
• Thomas & Thomas Rodmakers, Inc. v. Newport Adhesives and Composites, Inc. (Carbon Fiber Antitrust Litigation), Case No. CV-99-7796 (C.D. Cal.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys were co-lead counsel (with one other firm) in this consolidated class action in which a class of purchasers alleged that the major producers of carbon fiber fixed its price from 1993 to 1999. The case settled for $67.5 million.
• In re Carbon Black Antitrust Litig., MDL No. 1543 (D. Mass.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys recovered $20 million for the class in this multi-district litigation in which the Firm served as co-lead counsel. Plaintiffs purchased carbon black from major producers that unlawfully conspired to fix the price of carbon black, which is used in the manufacture of tires, rubber and plastic products, inks and other products, from 1999 to 2005.
• In re Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Antitrust Litig., 02 MDL No. 1486 (N.D. Cal.). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys served on the executive committee in this multi-district class action in which a class of purchasers of dynamic random access memory (or DRAM) chips alleged that the leading manufacturers of semiconductor products fixed the price of DRAM chips from the fall of 2001 through at least the end of June 2002. The case settled for more than $300 million.
• Microsoft I-V Cases, JCCP No. 4106 (Cal. Super. Ct., San Francisco County). Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys served on the executive committee in these consolidated cases in which California indirect purchasers challenged Microsoft’s illegal exercise of monopoly power in the operating system, word processing and spreadsheet markets. In a settlement approved by the court, class counsel obtained an unprecedented $1.1 billion worth of relief for the business and consumer class members who purchased the Microsoft products.