Alicia Gutiérrez is discovery counsel at Cohen Milstein and a member of the Antitrust practice. Her legal practice has focused for more than a decade on complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on antitrust litigation. Alicia has worked on cases in both state and federal courts, as well as advised clients on investigations and litigation involving government agencies.
Alicia also focuses her time identifying and developing potential cases for the Antitrust practice.
Prior to joining Cohen Milstein, Alicia was counsel and an associate at two notable Washington, DC firms, where she represented both defendants and plaintiffs. Before embarking on her legal career, she was a financial analyst in investment banking at Merrill Lynch and a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group.
- Management Consultant, The Boston Consulting Group, 2002-2003
- Financial Analyst, Merrill Lynch, 1996-1998
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Stanford Law School, J.D., 2002
- Stanford Graduate School of Business, M.B.A., 2002
- Princeton University, A.B., 1996
Current Cases
In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation
In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Ill.): Cohen Milstein represents a class of broiler chicken consumers in a suit alleging that the nation’s largest chicken producers, including Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods, conspired to raise the price of chicken. On December 20, 2021, the Court granted final approval of settlements with six of the defendants for a total of $181 million. Litigation against the remaining defendants continues.
In re Da Vinci Surgical Robot Antitrust Litigation
In re Da Vinci Surgical Robot Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal.): Cohen Milstein serves as Interim Co-Lead Counsel in this consolidated antitrust class action against Intuitive Surgical, Inc. Plaintiffs allege that Intuitive engages in an anticompetitive scheme under which it ties the purchase or lease of its must-have, market-dominating da Vinci surgical robot to the additional purchases of (i) robot maintenance and repair services and (ii) unnecessarily large numbers of the surgical instruments, known as EndoWrists, used to perform surgery with the robot—a violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.
Jien, et al. v. Perdue Farms, Inc., et al.
Jien, et al. v. Perdue Farms, Inc., et al. (D. Md.): Cohen Milstein serves as Co-Lead Counsel in this putative wage and hour suppression class action against the nation’s largest chicken and turkey producers conspired to suppress their compensation. As of July 20, 2021, the Court has preliminarily approved $195.25 million in settlements with four defendants. Litigation continues against other defendants.
Past Cases
UFCW & Employers Benefit Trust v. Sutter Health, et al.
Sutter Health Antitrust Litigation (Sup. Ct., San Fran. Cty., Cal.): On August 27, 2021, the Court granted final approval of a $575 million eve-of-trial settlement, which includes significant injunctive relief, in this antitrust class action against Sutter Health, one of the largest healthcare providers in California, for restraining hospital competition through anticompetitive contracting practices with insurance companies. Cohen Milstein was one of five firms that litigated this case since 2014 on behalf of a certified class of self-insured employers and union trust funds. California’s Attorney General joined the suit in March 2018.
VFX/Animation Workers: In re: Animation Workers Antitrust Litigation
VFX/Animation Workers: In re Animation Workers Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal.): Cohen Milstein represented a class of animation and visual effects workers in a lawsuit alleging that the defendants, who include Pixar, Lucasfilm Ltd. and DreamWorks Animation, secretly agreed not to solicit class members and to coordinate on compensation. The Court approved settlements with all of the defendants for a total of $168.5 million.
August 30, 2021
Federal Judge Grants Final Approval of $575M Settlement Against Sutter Health
A federal judge has granted final approval for a $575 million settlement with Northern California-based hospital system Sutter Health that settles allegations of price gouging. The settlement judgment, announced late Friday, requires Sutter to not only pay $575 million but also to adopt several reforms aimed at curbing anti-competitive practices. “Sutter will no longer have […]
In the News | Fierce Healthcare
August 30, 2021
Sutter Health’s $575M Antitrust Settlement Is Final: 4 Things to Know
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo granted final approval of Sutter Health’s $575 million antitrust settlement Aug. 27. Four things to know: 1. The settlement was initially reached in December 2019 by Sutter and the parties that sued the Sacramento, Calif.-based system, including then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, unions and other employers. Ms. Massullo […]
In the News | Becker’s Hospital Review
August 28, 2021
Judge Approves Sutter Health Antitrust Deal. What That Means for California Health Care
Sutter Health is $575 million poorer — and now must operate under new rules designed to curb its ability to dictate the price of health care in Sacramento and Northern California. A judge late Friday approved a landmark antitrust settlement agreement between the Sacramento-based hospital chain, the state of California and a group of health […]
In the News | The Sacramento Bee
December 13, 2020
How a Hospital System Grew to Gain Market Power and Drove Up California Health Care Costs
Sutter Health is in the midst of a lawsuit for business practices that drove up health care prices for Californians The coronavirus pandemic has unleashed more than a flood of disease in this country. It’s also expected to accelerate a wave of hospital mergers and acquisitions – with big hospitals buying up smaller ones. This […]
In the News | 60 Minutes
December 20, 2019
Sutter Health to Pay $575 Million to Settle Antitrust Lawsuit
The deal resolves allegations of anti-competitive behavior by the large hospital system in Northern California. Sutter Health, the large hospital system in Northern California, said Friday that it had agreed to pay $575 million to settle claims of anti-competitive behavior brought by the California state attorney general as well as unions and employers. In addition […]
In the News | The New York Times
October 16, 2019
Surprise Settlement Reached in Big Sutter Health Case Over Medical Pricing
Sutter Health has reached a tentative settlement agreement in a closely watched antitrust case brought by self-funded employers, and later joined by the California Attorney General’s Office. The agreement was announced in the San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday morning, just before opening arguments were expected to begin. Details have not been made public, and […]
In the News | Los Angeles Times
October 17, 2016
Animation Workers Reach $50 Million Settlement with DreamWorks Animation
A settlement has been reached between a group of animation workers and DreamWorks Animation in a class action lawsuit alleging that DreamWorks and other companies violated antitrust laws by conspiring to set animation wages via non-poaching agreements. The settlement provides for a cash payment of $50 million to a settlement fund. The plaintiffs already had […]
In the News | Variety