Albert v. Global Tel*Link Corp.
Albert et al. v. Global Tel*Link Corp. et al. (D. Md.): Cohen Milstein and co-counsel, including the Human Rights Defense Center, and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs represent families of inmates in prisons and correctional facilities throughout the United States. Plaintiffs allege that telecommunications giants, Global Tel* Link Corp., Securus Technologies, LLC, and 3Cinteractive Corp., engaged in a price-fixing and kickback scheme to inflate the prices of single call collect calls placed by inmates in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
All Wrapped Up Signs and Graphix LLC v. Visa Inc.
All Wrapped Up Signs and Graphix LLC v. Visa Inc. (S.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein filed a putative class action on behalf of plaintiff All Wrapped Up Signs and Graphix LLC alleging that Visa Inc. violated the Sherman Act and various state antitrust laws by (1) monopolizing and attempting to monopolize, and (2) reaching agreements not to compete in and in restraint of trade of, the market for debit transactions in the United States.
Brown v. JBS USA Food Company, et al.
Brown v. JBS USA Food Company, et al. (D. Col.): Cohen Milstein serves as Interim Co-Lead Counsel in this wage suppression antitrust class action against eleven of country’s largest beef and pork producers and several of their subsidiaries, including JBS USA Food, Tyson Foods, Cargill, Hormel Foods, American Foods, Perdue Farms, Smithfield Foods, and National Beef Packing. On March 8, 2024, Plaintiffs filed motions for preliminary approval of a total $127.2 million in settlements against Tyson Foods and JBS USA Food. Pending final approval, settlements thus far total $200 million.
Energizer Batteries Antitrust Litigation
Copeland, et al. v. Energizer Holdings, Inc., et al. (N.D. Cal.): Cohen Milstein represents consumers in a putative antitrust price-fixing class action against Energizer Holdings and Wal-Mart, Inc. Consumers allege that since 2018, Walmart and Energizer entered into an illegal agreement whereby Walmart would give Energizer preferential sales treatment at its stores while Energizer would monitor Walmart’s competitors, including online competitors, to keep them from undercutting Walmart’s retail prices for Energizer batteries. Consumers also allege that the agreement remains in effect today.
Ideker Farms, Inc., et al. v. United States of America (NW Missouri Flood Litigation)
Ideker Farms, et al. v. United States of America (Fed. Cl.): Cohen Milstein represents Ideker Farms and more than 400 other plaintiffs located in six states along the Missouri River in a landmark mass action lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims alleging that the federal government took land and flooding easements over lands owned by farmers without any compensation in violation of the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment. Cohen Milstein has helped lead the litigation team, including during both a months-long liability trial in 2017, and a subsequent damages trial in 2020 for bellwether plaintiffs. In December 2020, the Court ruled largely in favor of bellwether plaintiffs. In June 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit concurred with the lower court and reversed and remanded the issues of compensation for lost crops and 2011 flooding to the lower court to determine valuation.
In re Actos Antitrust Litigation
In re Actos Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein represents End-Payor Plaintiffs in this antitrust action, alleging that Defendant Takeda engaged in anticompetitive conduct related to the listing of certain patents in the FDA’s Orange Book thereby resulting in unlawful delays to the market entry of generic versions of Takeda’s diabetes drug, Actos.
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 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. As of July 25, 2023, settlements against defendants total $183.9 million.
In re Crop Protection Products Loyalty Program Antitrust Litigation
In re Crop Protection Products Loyalty Program Antitrust Litigation (M.D.N.C.): Cohen Milstein serves as Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel in this antirust multidistrict litigation against Syngenta Crop Protection and Corteva, Inc., two of the world’s largest pesticide manufactures. Plaintiffs allege these Defendants have illegally blocked competition through exclusive distributor “loyalty agreements,” thereby forcing farmers to pay supracompetitive prices while restricting their ability to benefit from new, innovative products.