Lisa A. Peterson
Subscribe to Lisa A. Peterson's PostsLisa A. Peterson focuses her practice on antitrust, regulatory and litigation matters. She assists clients across a variety of industries and has represented numerous clients in the health care, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. Lisa advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, including obtaining clearance from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as counsels clients on issues regarding antitrust compliance, pricing, and distribution. She also counsels clients on cartel prosecutions and defenses, including government investigations and the initiation and defense of civil class action litigation. Read Lisa Peterson's full bio.
Japanese Shipping Company Rolls Over, Pleads Guilty to Price Fixing
By Lisa A. Peterson on Oct 21, 2014
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments
On September 26, 2014 Japanese transportation company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line) agreed to plead guilty to price fixing, bid rigging and allocating customers for international ocean shipping services for “roll-on, roll-off” cargo. K-Line will be fined $67.7 million. Roll-on, roll-off cargo is a special type of ocean shipping for cars, trucks, agricultural and construction...
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California Court Finds Lack of Antitrust Standing for Price-Fixed Component Parts
By Lisa A. Peterson on Sep 29, 2014
Posted In Private Litigation
On Sept. 22, 2014, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an important opinion regarding antitrust standing in Los Gatos Mercantile, Inc. v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DuPont), No. 13-cv-01180-BLF (N.D. Cal. Sept. 22, 2014). The DuPont opinion is one of several recent opinions handed down on the topic...
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2014 Cartel Penalties On Pace to Set Record
By Lisa A. Peterson on Jun 30, 2014
Posted In Cartel Enforcement
Global antitrust regulators are on pace to levy record-breaking cartel penalties in 2014. If global regulators keep pace, cartel penalties will surpass 2013’s record total. Through June, U.S. antitrust regulators issued fines totaling $709 million (USD), while European regulators imposed fines of $1.95 billion. The record-breaking fines are the result of global regulators more actively...
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Federal Judge Puts Narcolepsy Drug Horizontal Conspiracy Claims to Bed
By Lisa A. Peterson on Jun 27, 2014
Posted In Healthcare Antitrust, IP Antitrust
On Monday, June 23, 2014, a Federal Judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted summary judgment for five pharmaceutical companies on horizontal conspiracy claims brought by Apotex Inc. and direct purchaser and end payor plaintiffs regarding the popular narcolepsy drug Provigil. Provigil’s key ingredient is modafinil, “a wakefulness-promoting agent” used to treat sleep disorders...
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Ringing Regulatory Rumors: Deutsche Telekom Purportedly Agrees to Sell T-Mobile US
By Lisa A. Peterson on Jun 2, 2014
Posted In DOJ Developments, Mergers & Acquisitions
Reports circulated out of Japan and Germany late last week indicating Deutsche Telekom AG, owner of T-Mobile US Inc., reached a tentative agreement to sell T-Mobile to Softbank, owner of Sprint Corp. The potential merger of the third and fourth largest wireless carriers has sent rumors of regulatory challenges flying. Other news agencies, like Reuters,...
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Judge Ends Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs’ Case in Refrigerant Compressors
By Lisa A. Peterson on Apr 16, 2014
Posted In Private Litigation
Last week, on April 8, 2014, the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan dismissed the remaining claims of indirect purchaser plaintiffs (IPPs) in the ongoing Refrigerant Compressors litigation. In re: Refrigerant Compressors, Case No. 2:09-md-02042 (E.D. Mich. April 8, 2014). Almost exactly one year ago, the court dismissed most of the IPPs’ claims,...
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FTC Opinion Finds Domestic Pipe Fitter Unlawfully Maintained Its Monopoly
By Lisa A. Peterson on Feb 7, 2014
Posted In FTC Developments, Monopolization/Abuse of Dominance
On February 6, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its opinion and final order against McWane Inc., finding the company unlawfully maintained its monopoly by excluding competitors. McWane Inc. is the largest domestic supplier of ductile iron pipe fittings, which are used in municipal and regional water distribution systems to change water flow or...
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Call Waiting: DOJ to Maintain Scrutiny of Wireless Industry Consolidation
By Lisa A. Peterson on Feb 7, 2014
Posted In DOJ Developments, Mergers & Acquisitions
The wireless industry has seen steady consolidation since the late 1980s. Recently, in late 2013, reports began circulating about a potential merger between Sprint and T-Mobile, the nation’s third and fourth-largest wireless carriers, respectively. Last week, however, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, William Baer, the assistant attorney general for the antitrust division...
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Price-Fixing Executive Dealt Tough Sentence for Role in Cartel
By Lisa A. Peterson on Dec 13, 2013
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments
On December 6, 2013, Frank Peake, former president of Sea Star Line LLC, was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine for his role in fixing prices for rates and surcharges for freight transportation in coastal waters between the United States and Puerto Rico. The alleged conduct began around...
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U.S. Senators Debate Toughening Cartel Penalties
By Lisa A. Peterson on Nov 19, 2013
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments
On November 14, 2013, members of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights heard arguments regarding the effectiveness of current cartel prosecution and punishment strategies in deterring cartel conduct. In her opening remarks, Senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, called price-fixing the most egregious form...
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