Mary Strimel
Subscribe to Mary Strimel's PostsMary Strimel advises and defends clients on mergers, acquisitions, criminal price-fixing, class actions and other antitrust investigations before the US Department of Justice, the US Federal Trade Commission, and state and federal courts. Her criminal and civil antitrust work has spanned a wide range of industries, including transportation, software, financial markets, data publishing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, glass, industrial products, alcoholic beverages and telecommunications. Read Mary Strimel's full bio.
THE LATEST: FTC Settles Civil Complaint for Wage-Fixing
By Mary Strimel on Aug 2, 2018
Posted In FTC Developments, Healthcare Antitrust
A recent settlement shows that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will use its enforcement authority to target employer collusion in the labor market. WHAT HAPPENED The FTC brought a complaint against a medical staffing agency, Your Therapy Source, LLC, and the owner of a competing staffing agency, Integrity Home Therapy, for allegedly agreeing to...
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THE LATEST: DOJ Continues Its Intense Focus on Decree Compliance
By Mary Strimel on May 17, 2018
Posted In DOJ Developments, FTC Developments
WHAT HAPPENED In March, we discussed the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division’s move to update its standard consent decree language to enhance decree enforceability. Among other things, the changes: Reduced the burden of proof for DOJ to demonstrate a decree violation in court, and Shifted DOJ’s attorney’s fees to the losing party in...
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DOJ Enforcement Update: Higher Education
By Mary Strimel on Apr 25, 2018
Posted In DOJ Developments
According to press reports, the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating several issues related to admission of students to institutions of higher learning. In January, reports emerged that DOJ was investigating whether the National Association of College Admission Counseling’s (NACAC’s) ethical guidelines violate the antitrust laws. The DOJ appeared to...
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DOJ Consent Decree Changes Reduce Room for Error
By Mary Strimel on Mar 21, 2018
Posted In DOJ Developments, Mergers & Acquisitions
WHAT HAPPENED The Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) implemented new provisions in merger consent decrees that: Make it easier for DOJ to prove violations of a consent decree and hold parties in contempt; Allow DOJ to apply for an extension of the decree’s term if the court finds a violation; and Shift DOJ’s attorneys’...
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THE LATEST: Trump DOJ’s Next Target: the Illinois Brick Indirect Purchaser Rule?
By McDermott Will & Emery and Mary Strimel on Feb 2, 2018
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments, Private Litigation
In the course of one week, two top level DOJ Antitrust officials in the Trump Administration separately spoke at panels and suggested the possibility of a sea change in federal antitrust law with respect to indirect purchaser lawsuits. The comments further reinforce the Administration’s active focus on antitrust issues. WHAT HAPPENED: Makan Delrahim, DOJ’s Assistant...
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Jury Gives Auto Parts Manufacturer a Pass on DOJ Conspiracy Claims
By Lisa A. Peterson, Mary Strimel, Paul M. Thompson and McDermott Will & Emery on Dec 12, 2017
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments
On November 29, 2017, a Japanese auto parts manufacturer and its US subsidiary defeated the US Department of Justice’s claims that the companies conspired with others to fix prices and rig bids for automotive body sealing products. The case involved a rare trial involving criminal antitrust charges. After 13 days of trial, a jury returned...
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Joint FTC / DOJ Guidance: Hurricanes Harvey and Irma
By Mary Strimel on Sep 14, 2017
Posted In DOJ Developments, FTC Developments, Joint Ventures/Competitor Collaboration
Businesses and individuals in Texas, Florida, the Southeast, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are preparing for a massive recovery and reconstruction effort in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have issued antitrust guidance that reiterates key principles of...
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DOJ Prosecution of Heir Location Service Providers Dismissed on Statute of Limitations Grounds
By McDermott Will & Emery and Mary Strimel on Sep 11, 2017
Posted In DOJ Developments
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division’s criminal case against an heir location service provider collapsed when the US District Court for the District of Utah ruled that the government’s Sherman Act § 1 case was barred by the statute of limitations. The court held that the alleged conspiracy ceased when the alleged conspirators...
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THE LATEST: Federal Judge Blocks Merger of Nuclear Waste Disposal Companies Rejecting “Failing Firm” Defense
By Mary Strimel on Jul 18, 2017
Posted In DOJ Developments, Mergers & Acquisitions
On June 21, 2017, US District Judge Sue L. Robinson blocked EnergySolutions, Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS), applying a strict standard for the “failing firm” defense to a merger challenge. The parties compete in the disposal of low level radioactive waste (LLRW). WCS had argued that it would be forced to...
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Individual Accountability Likely to Continue for Cartel Enforcement
By Mary Strimel on Jun 5, 2017
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments
To date, the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) has obtained six corporate guilty pleas, three individual indictments and one individual guilty plea in its long-running investigation into price fixing of capacitors by primarily Japanese manufacturers. Capacitors are small electronic components that are found in nearly every device that is plugged in or powered...
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