Christopher Bateman represents a broad range of individuals and organizations in civil litigation, particularly class actions and antitrust litigation. His focus includes emerging antitrust issues within financial markets, and antitrust and securities issues relating to cryptocurrencies.
Before joining Cohen Milstein, Chris was a law clerk for the Honorable Naomi Reice Buchwald, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Before that, he was a litigation attorney at a global law firm, where he worked with clients in the financial services and energy sectors.
While in law school, Chris was an article selection editor for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. He is the co-author of “Toward Greener FERC Regulation of the Power Industry,” 38 Harvard Environmental Law Review 275 (2014).
Before attending law school, Chris was an editorial associate at Vanity Fair writing about politics, civil rights, culture, and environmental issues.
- Vice Chair, ABA Antitrust Section’s U.S. Comments & Policy Committee (2022-2023)
- Guest lecturer on select topics in Environmental and Energy Law, NYU School of Law
- New York
- Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 2014
- Dartmouth College, B.A., cum laude, 2005
- Law Clerk, the Hon. Naomi Reice Buchwald, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Current Cases
Albert v. Global Tel*Link Corp.
On September 30, 2021, the Honorable Lydia Kay Griggsby of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland denied in part and granted in part Defendants’ motion to dismiss this class action alleging price-fixing and kickback scheme to inflate the prices of single call collect calls placed by inmates from correctional facilities located within the United States, among defendants Global Tel* Link Corp. (“GTL”), Securus Technologies, LLC (“Securus”) and 3Cinteractive Corp. (“3Ci”) in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”).
In Re Axon VieVu Antitrust Litigation
In Re Axon VieVu Antitrust Litigation (D.N.J.): Cohen Milstein, as Co-Lead Counsel, represents the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and other municipalities in this consolidated antitrust class action, alleging that Axon unlawfully monopolized the markets for body-worn camera systems and long-range conducted energy weapons, such as Tasers, through acquiring its largest competitor and signing decade-long non-compete, market allocation, and no-poach agreements with its main competitor.
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.
In re Interest Rate Swaps Antitrust Litigation
In re Interest Rate Swaps Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein serves as Co-Lead Counsel and represents the Public School Teachers’ Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago and other proposed buy-side investor class members in this ground breaking putative antitrust class action against numerous Wall Street investment banks. Plaintiffs allege that the defendants conspired to prevent class members from trading IRS on modern electronic trading platforms and from trading with each other, all to protect the banks’ trading profits from inflated bid/ask spreads.
In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (E.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein represents gasoline retailers in numerous states in an antitrust class against Visa, Inc. and MasterCard, Inc. for orchestrating an anticompetitive scheme artificially inflating the “interchange fees” charged to process credit card transactions on their networks.
Stock Loan Antitrust Litigation
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System et al. v. Bank of America Corp. (S.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein is co-counsel in this groundbreaking putative class action, in which investors accuse Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, UBS, J.P. Morgan, and other Wall Street banks of conspiring to thwart the modernization of and preserve their dominance over the $1.7 trillion stock loan market. On September 1, 2023, the court granted preliminary approval of a historic settlement of $499 million in cash along with injunctive relief against defendants Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, UBS, JP Morgan, and EquiLend, bringing total settlements to $580 million thus far. Litigation against Bank of America continues.
Investigations
Small Business Gas Purchase Investigation
We believe that small businesses in the U.S. may have paid inflated prices for gasoline bought at retail gas stations since 2021 as a result of potentially unlawful activity by certain producers of shale oil. If you are the owner of a small business that bought gasoline at retail gas stations in any of the […]
- Super Lawyers New York Metro Area Rising Stars (2021-2023)
May 26, 2023
4th Circ. Revives Prison Phone Price-Fixing RICO Claims
The families of prisoners will get another shot at seeking damages on their racketeering claim against three companies accused of conspiring to inflate the cost of calls made from U.S. prisons, after the Fourth Circuit ruled Thursday that the claims alleged direct injury to thousands of families as well as the government. The unanimous published […]
In the News | Law360
February 6, 2023
Plaintiffs Bar Partner Promotions Highlight Rising Caseload, Commitment to Firm Culture
Plaintiffs firms are off to a dynamic start into 2023 with diverse partner classes and a strong commitment to antitrust, MDL and health care litigation. U.S. plaintiffs firms are kicking off the year with a strong round of partner promotions tied to growing caseload and a commitment to firm culture that emphasizes in-house elevation over […]
In the News | The National Law Journal
January 10, 2023
Cohen Milstein Announces New Partners: Christopher J. Bateman, Molly J. Bowen, Brian Corman, Alison Deich, and Eric A. Kafka
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: cohenmilstein@berlinrosen.com WASHINGTON, DC – Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs’ law firms, has named Christopher J. Bateman, Molly J. Bowen, Brian Corman, Alison Deich, and Eric A. Kafka as the firm’s newest partners, effective January 1, 2023. Christopher J. Bateman, a member of the […]
Press Releases | Cohen Milstein
July 1, 2022
Stock-Loan Case Against Goldman, Other Banks Takes Step Toward Class Certification
Pension funds allege “group boycott” of startup platforms in stock loan market Manhattan federal judge in 2018 declined to dismiss case Credit Suisse in February first to settle, for $81 million A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday recommended the certification of a class of investors who have alleged Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & […]
In the News | Reuters
February 11, 2022
“Credit Suisse Investors Ink $25M ‘Icebreaker’ Rate Swaps Deal”
Institutional investors leading sprawling multidistrict litigation against nearly a dozen megabanks that allegedly colluded to control the interest rate swaps market told a New York federal judge Friday they’ve reached a $25 million “icebreaker” settlement with Credit Suisse. Along with the $25 million cash award, the proposed settlement calls for Credit Suisse Group AG to […]
In the News | Law360
October 1, 2021
Trimmed Prison Phone Price-Fixing Case Moves Forward
Three companies accused of colluding to inflate the cost of calls made from inside U.S. prisons will still face antitrust claims after a Maryland federal judge decided that the racketeering claims of prisoners’ families fell apart. U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby dismissed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — better known as RICO […]
In the News | Law360
October 30, 2020
Cohen Milstein, Scott & Scott Both Want to Lead FICO Fight
Both of the firms vying for interim lead counsel spots in antitrust litigation against Fair Isaac Corp. agree that the matter ought to be split in two, but that didn’t stop aspersions from being cast as they sought to make their case before an Illinois federal court. Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC and Scott […]
In the News | Law360
June 30, 2020
Prison Phone Providers Accused of Price-Fixing Inmate Calls
Two companies that facilitate collect calls made from U.S. jails and prisons and a mobile marketing company were hit with a class action Monday in Maryland federal court for allegedly colluding to inflate the cost of inmate calls for a decade. Securus Technologies LLC, Global Tel*Link Corp. and 3Cinteractive Corp. were accused of working together […]
In the News | Law360