In re Lipitor Antitrust Litigation
In re Lipitor Antitrust Litigation (D.N.J.): Plaintiffs allege that Pfizer, the manufacturer of the cholesterol drug Lipitor, the best-selling drug in pharmaceutical history, conspired with Ranbaxy, the generic manufacturer, to delay its introduction of a generic Lipitor product. On October 1, 2024, the court granted final approval of a $35 million settlement against Pfizer for its role in the alleged anticompetitive scheme. Litigation against Ranbaxy is ongoing. Cohen Milstein is Co-Lead Counsel to the End-Payor Plaintiffs class.
UFC MMA Fighters Antitrust Litigation
Cung Le, et al. v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship (D. Nev.): Cohen Milstein is co-lead counsel in this certified wage suppression class action, representing mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters who allege that UFC unlawfully monopolized the MMA market by, among other things, locking up fighters in exclusive contracts and acquiring MMA rivals. On February 6, 2025, the court granted final approval of a historic $375 million settlement against UFC – exclusively for the MMA fighters in the Le class action. Two class actions on behalf of, among others, current fighters for the UFC continue.
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. The plaintiffs allege that the federal government took land and flooding easements over lands owned by farmers without compensation in violation of the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment. Cohen Milstein has helped lead the litigation team, including during 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.
Stock Loan Antitrust Litigation
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System, et al. v. Bank of America Corp., et al. (S.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein is co-counsel in this groundbreaking certified class action, in which investors accuse Wall Street banks of engaging in a group boycott and conspiring to thwart the modernization of and preserve their dominance over the $1.7 trillion stock loan market. On September 4, 2024, the court granted final approval of a historic $580 million cash settlement and significant injunctive relief against defendants Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, UBS, JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, and EquiLend. Litigation against Bank of America continues.
Moehrl v. National Association of Realtors, et al.
Moehrl v. National Association of Realtors (N.D. Ill.): Cohen Milstein is co-lead counsel in this and three other parallel, certified class actions, in which home sellers allege that National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the nation’s largest real estate brokers conspired to force home sellers to pay the broker fees of home buyers. Since October 2023, Cohen Milstein and co-counsel have helped home sellers achieve more than $997.1 million in approved settlements, including a $418 million settlement against NAR, which included sweeping, industry-wide reforms and injunctive relief for home sellers.
Albert v. Global Tel*Link Corp.
Albert et al. v. Global Tel*Link Corp. et al. (D. Md.): Cohen Milstein, 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 across the country. 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 collect calls placed by inmates in violation of antitrust law and RICO. On October 31, 2024, the court granted preliminary approval of a $17 million settlement against GTL. Litigation is ongoing.
In re Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation II
In Re: Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation II (D.D.C.): Cohen Milstein represents three of the world’s largest container shippers—Yang Ming, NYK, and “K” Line—in antitrust lawsuits against the four largest United States railroads. Plaintiffs allege that, beginning as early as July 1, 2003, Defendants conspired to price fix Plaintiffs’ intermodal contracts in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, including by agreeing to impose similar or identical rail freight fuel surcharges (“FSCs”) in their multi-year contracts.
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.
Mohawk Gaming Enterprises v. Scientific Games
Mohawk Gaming Enterprises v. Scientific Games, et al. (AAA/NY State Court): Cohen Milstein represents casinos that purchased/leased an automatic shuffler from Scientific Games, Bally Technologies, and Bally Gaming in a novel, certified class arbitration, alleging that the Respondents control virtually 100% of the relevant card shuffler market and maintain monopoly power through deceptive tactics such as fraudulently procuring patents and then asserting those patents in sham lawsuits against competitors, thereby suppressing competition and deterring entry of new competitors, thereby allowing Respondents to set inflated prices.