Alison Deich, a partner in Cohen Milstein’s Antitrust practice, is helping lead some of the largest, groundbreaking litigation in the United States, not only in competition law, but also in civil rights and environmental torts. The focus of her antitrust work is challenging anticompetitive practices that suppress wages and harm workers.
Ali also co-chairs the firm’s Hiring & Diversity Committee, which is focused on fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that recruits, mentors, and supports talented people from a range of backgrounds.
Before joining the firm, Ali clerked in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where she clerked for the Honorable Cornelia Pillard, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where she clerked for the Honorable Katherine Polk Failla, and the California Supreme Court, where she clerked for the Honorable Goodwin Liu.
- District of Columbia
- Virginia
- Harvard Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 2014
- University of Virginia, B.A., with highest distinction, 2010
- Law Clerk, the Hon. Cornelia Pillard, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
- Law Clerk, the Hon. Katherine Polk Failla, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- Law Clerk, the Hon. Goodwin Liu, California Supreme Court
Current Cases
Moyle v. U.S.A. and Idaho v. U.S.A.
On March 28, 2024, the National Women’s Law Center filed an amicus brief, co-authored by Cohen Milstein, with the Supreme Court of the United States, addressing Moyle v. U.S.A. (No. 23-726) and Idaho v. U.S.A. (23-727) and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). This brief is also submitted on behalf of In Our […]
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.
Lee, et al. v. Trump, et al.
Thompson, et al. v. Trump, et al. (D.D.C.): In partnership with the NAACP, Cohen Milstein is representing members of Congress in a novel civil rights lawsuit filed under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 against Donald J. Trump, in his personal capacity, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, alleging that they conspired to prevent members of Congress from carrying out their constitutional duty to certify the results of the 2020 election on January 6, 2021. The case addresses novel questions of presidential immunity and the First Amendment. On December 1, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decided that President Trump is not entitled to official-act immunity for his actions leading up to and on January 6 as alleged in the complaint, since he was acting as an office-seeker, not an officeholder.
Cape Fear River PFAS Litigation: Nix, et al. v. The Chemours Company FC, LLC et al.
Cape Fear River Contaminated Water Litigation (E.D.N.C.): Cohen Milstein is Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel in a series of five putative environmental toxic tort class actions filed against E.I. DuPont de Nemours Company and The Chemours Company for knowingly discharging PFAS, such as GenX, and other “forever chemicals” into the Cape Fear River, one of North Carolina’s principal drinking water sources.
Brown v. JBS USA Food Company, et al.
Brown v. JBS USA Food Company, et al. (D. Colo.): 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, Hormell 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. If granted approval by the court, preliminarily approved settlements will total $138.5 million.
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.
Scharpf, et al. v. General Dynamics Corp., et al.
Scharpf, et al. v. General Dynamics Corp., et al. (E.D. Va.): Cohen Milstein represents naval architects and marine engineers in a putative antitrust wage suppression class action against the nation’s largest military shipbuilders and naval engineering consultancy firms. Plaintiffs allege that starting in at least 2000, Defendants engaged in a “no poach” conspiracy by adhering to an informal “gentlemen’s agreement” among themselves not to recruit each other’s naval engineers.
Flint Water Crisis Class Action Litigation
On November 10, 2021, Judge Judith E. Levy of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan granted final approval of a landmark $626.25 million settlement resulting from the class action and individual lawsuits brought on behalf of more than 90,000 Flint residents and businesses against multiple governmental defendants, including the State of Michigan, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and individual defendants, including former Governor Rick Snyder, for their roles in re-directing toxic levels of contaminated water from the Flint River into the City’s drinking water in an effort to save money and their subsequent efforts to try to cover up the crisis.
Past Cases
In re Domestic Drywall Antitrust Litigation
In re Domestic Drywall Antitrust Litigation (E.D. Pa.): Cohen Milstein was co-lead counsel in an antitrust litigation alleging that the seven major U.S. manufacturers of drywall conspired to manipulate prices. Mr. Pierson ran the case for Cohen Milstein and in 2015 took the lead for the direct purchaser plaintiffs in arguing against the defendants’ summary judgment motions (which were denied by the Court for four of the five defendants). The Court granted final approval to settlements totaling $190 million.
In re Pre-Filled Propane Tank Antitrust Litigation
In re Pre-Filled Propane Tank Antitrust Litigation (W.D. Mo.): Cohen Milstein served as Co-Lead Counsel to Direct Purchasers in this price fixing class action against two of the largest distributors of propane exchange tanks. In June 2020, the court granted final approval of the $12.6 million settlement. Ms. Levens drafted the successful appellate brief argued before the Eighth Circuit en banc. The Court adopted Plaintiffs’ articulation of the continuing violation doctrine and held that sales made pursuant to an anticompetitive agreement constitute new acts for purposes of determining the timeliness of a claim, thereby reviving Direct Purchasers’ antitrust claims against distributors of pre-filled propane tanks. In January 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the Eighth Circuit’s ruling, allowing it to stand.
- The National Law Journal, Rising Stars (2023)
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star (2020-2023)
- The Best Lawyers in America (2021-2023)
March 29, 2024
Experts in Law, Medicine, Business, Reproductive Rights, and Gender Justice Call on the Supreme Court to Protect the Right to Emergency Abortion Care
On March 29, 2024, the National Women’s Law Center issued the following press release: WASHINGTON D.C. – On Thursday, March 28, 2024, a broad coalition of major medical organizations, physicians, people who have been denied critical health- and life-saving emergency abortion care, former HHS officials, Members of Congress, states, cities, counties, prosecutors, public health experts, […]
In the News | National Women's Law Center
February 16, 2024
Trump Opts Against Appealing Civil Immunity Claim in Jan. 6 Lawsuits to Supreme Court
Former President Trump and his legal team have decided against appealing a court’s decision that found he is not immune from civil lawsuits that blame him for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, after they previously signaled he would file an appeal. Trump’s decision to not take his broader immunity claim to the Supreme […]
In the News | The Hill
February 28, 2024
$11M Meat Co. Deals Get Early OK In Colo. Wage Fixing Suit
A Colorado federal judge Tuesday gave initial approval to class settlements with two meat producers and a consulting company, requiring $11.25 million in payments to resolve claims that they participated in a nationwide scheme to fix and depress wages for meat plant workers. In an order, U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer advanced a deal […]
In the News | Law360
February 13, 2024
Energizer, Walmart Can’t Ditch Battery Pricing Collusion Suits
Energizer and Walmart cannot escape a trio of class actions accusing the battery manufacturer of giving the big box chain almost complete control over the retail price its batteries are sold for and forbidding other retailers from undercutting them. U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts on Friday spent 21 pages laying out exactly why he […]
In the News | Law360
February 6, 2024
JBS Settles Meat Plant Wage-Fixing Suit In Colo.
Meat processing giant JBS USA Food Co. and a presumed class of meat plant workers have settled claims of wage-fixing in a lawsuit originally filed against nearly a dozen meat producers, according to a joint notice filed Monday. The notice did not include the terms of the settlement, which it said would come in a […]
In the News | Law360
December 1, 2023
Trump Has To Face Riot Suits, DC Circ. Affirms
Former President Donald Trump must face a trio of lawsuits seeking to hold him liable for inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday, rejecting Trump’s claim that he has absolute immunity from liability. In a highly anticipated opinion delivered a year after the case was argued […]
In the News | Law360
October 10, 2023
Shipbuilders Accused Of No-Poach ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’
A pair of former warship designers filed a proposed class action in Virginia federal court against two major shipbuilders for the U.S. military, General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries, and other companies allegedly involved in a decades-long conspiracy to suppress their wages through a no-poach “gentlemen’s agreement.” Plaintiffs Susan Scharpf and Anthony D’Armiento are seeking […]
In the News | Law360
October 5, 2023
Cohen Milstein and Susman Godfrey Help Cape Fear River Residents Win Class Certification in PFAS Toxic Tort Class Action Against Chemours and DuPont
COHEN MILSTEIN AND SUSMAN GODFREY HELP CAPE FEAR RIVER RESIDENTS WIN CLASS CERTIFICATION IN PFAS TOXIC TORT CLASS ACTION AGAINST CHEMOURS AND DUPONT More than 770,000 North Carolinians were exposed to toxic “forever chemicals” in their drinking water while Chemours and DuPont misled officials about toxic material disposal Cape Fear, N.C. – A federal judge […]
Press Releases
October 5, 2023
NC Residents Get Class Cert. In Chemours, DuPont PFAS Suit
A North Carolina federal judge granted class certification to a suit claiming the Chemours Co. and DuPont discharged wastewater containing PFAS and GenX chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals,” into the Cape Fear River, exposing as many as 100,000 residents to the toxic substances. The consolidated lawsuit claims that E.I. du Pont de Nemours & […]
In the News | Law360
April 3, 2023
Perdue Plant Workers’ $60M Wage-Fixing Deal Gets Initial OK
A Maryland federal judge on Monday gave her preliminary blessing to Perdue Farms’ $60.7 million settlement with workers who claim the company conspired to keep wages low at its poultry processing plants, certifying a nationwide settlement class of past and present Perdue poultry workers. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher granted preliminary approval to the […]
In the News | Law360
March 27, 2023
Lawmakers Say DOJ Rejection Of Trump Immunity Too Narrow
Federal lawmakers and police officers seeking to hold former President Donald Trump responsible for inciting the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol have told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Department of Justice’s suggested ruling in the case would be too narrow. Eleven members of the U.S. House of Representatives and two U.S. […]
In the News | Law360
March 2, 2023
DOJ Says Trump Not Immune From Capitol Riot Suits
The U.S. Department of Justice told the D.C. Circuit on Thursday that former President Donald Trump is not immune from a trio of lawsuits filed by lawmakers and U.S. Capitol Police officers accusing him of inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. In an amicus brief, the department told the appellate […]
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
November 15, 2022
“Beef, Pork Producers Accused of Wage-Fixing Conspiracy”
The largest U.S. producers of beef and pork illegally conspired to depress the wages of hundreds of thousands of meat plant workers since 2014, workers alleged in a proposed class action in Colorado federal court. In their complaint filed Friday, a trio of beef and pork processing plant workers said a group of red meat […]
In the News | Law360
September 30, 2022
Law Professors Tell DC Circ. Trump Must Face Riot Suits
Constitutional law professors on Friday came out against former President Donald Trump’s bid to assert absolute immunity in three lawsuits seeking to hold him liable for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, telling the D.C. Circuit Trump’s actions that day were more akin to a “disgruntled candidate” than president. Six professors from […]
In the News | Law360
September 29, 2022
Poultry Workers’ $85M Wage-Fixing Deals Land Initial OK
A Maryland federal judge gave her preliminary stamp of approval to three settlements collectively valued at nearly $85 million over allegations that Cargill Meat Solutions, Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms conspired to depress workers’ wages. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher found Tuesday that the deals between the meat producers and three classes of poultry […]
In the News | Law360
September 13, 2022
“Chicken Cos. To Pay Combined $85M in Wage Conspiracy Suit,” Law360
Cargill Meat Solutions, Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms will pay a combined total of $84.8 million to settle allegations the poultry companies illegally conspired to keep their wages low, according to a proposed agreement filed in Maryland federal court. Specifically, Cargill will pay $15 million, Sanderson will pay $38.3 million and Wayne will pay $31.5 […]
In the News
September 12, 2022
Poultry Workers’ $85M Antitrust Deal Ready for Judge’s Approval
A class of current and former poultry workers who alleged major U.S. chicken processors conspired to suppress wages has asked a Maryland federal court to approve $84.8 million in new settlements, pushing the total recovery so far in the litigation to more than $134 million. The plaintiffs’ attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher on […]
In the News | Reuters
May 31, 2022
Public Justice Announces Finalists for 2022 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award – In re Flint Water Cases
Watch the video.
In the News
May 27, 2022
Chicken Buyers Get Class Cert. in Sprawling Price-Fixing Suit
An Illinois federal judge on Friday certified classes of direct purchasers, indirect purchasers and end-user consumers in a sprawling antitrust lawsuit alleging more than a dozen major broiler chicken producers, including Sanderson Farms Inc. and Perdue Foods, conspired to limit chicken production to boost prices. In a 55-page order, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin […]
In the News | Law360
April 5, 2022
DAQ Settlement Requires Chemours to Further Limit GenX Emissions and Conduct Additional Testing
As part of a settlement signed today with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ), Chemours has agreed to further limit GenX emissions, conduct additional testing and pay the penalty assessed last year by DAQ. The agreement will require Chemours to reduce GenX emissions from the Carbon Adsorber Unit in […]
In the News | NC DEQ
January 10, 2022
In Marathon Hearing Over Jan. 6 Civil Lawsuits Against Trump, Judge Questions How Far Presidential Immunity Can Go
A federal judge in Washington on Monday wrestled with whether ex-President Donald Trump is immune from civil lawsuits filed over last year’s Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta of the District of Columbia, who is simultaneously presiding over criminal prosecutions stemming from the Jan. 6 violence, pressed an attorney […]
In the News | The National Law Journal
August 12, 2021
Partial Class Cert. Granted in Suit Against Flint Engineers
Flint residents have been granted partial class certification in a suit seeking to hold two engineering firms accountable for their work advising the Michigan city on its lead water crisis, after a federal judge tinkered with their proposed definitions for doing so. U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy divided claims against engineering firms into two […]
In the News | Law360
August 12, 2021
“Judge Rules on Motions for Flint Water Lawsuit Against Two Engineering Firms,” ABC12
Case against Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam is separate from $641.2 million settlement One of the many lawsuits regarding the Flint water crisis is closer to moving forward. This lawsuit involves two engineering firms that aren’t part of the $641.2 million settlement for victims — Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & […]
In the News
August 6, 2021
Pilgrim’s to Pay $76M to Settle Chicken Price-Fixing Claims
Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. has agreed to pay consumers $75.5 million to settle claims it conspired with competitors to fix the price of broiler chicken, the company’s latest deal in sweeping litigation filed in Illinois federal court over the alleged long-running scheme. In a filing Thursday, the end-user consumer plaintiffs also said they’d cut a $1 […]
In the News | Law360
March 11, 2021
Tyson, Pilgrim’s, Hormel to Face Poultry Worker Wage-Fixing Suit
Tyson Foods Inc., Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., Hormel Foods Corp., and other top poultry processors must face antitrust claims over an alleged industrywide plot to drive down the wages of their largely immigrant workforce, a federal judge in Maryland ruled Thursday. Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher, who tentatively tossed the case last year, said this time around […]
In the News | Bloomberg Law
February 16, 2021
“N.A.A.C.P. Sues Trump and Giuliani Over Election Fight and Jan. 6 Riot,” The New York Times
The civil rights group brought the suit on behalf of Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, with other Democrats in Congress expected to join as plaintiffs. The N.A.A.C.P. on Tuesday morning filed a federal lawsuit against former President Donald J. Trump and his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, claiming that they violated a 19th century statute […]
In the News
January 19, 2021
“More Consumer Groups Settle With Tyson in Price-Fix MDL,” Law360
Two consumer groups suing Tyson Foods in long-running multidistrict litigation over alleged price-fixing in the broiler chicken industry told an Illinois federal judge Tuesday they have reached settlements with the poultry giant. The motions for preliminary approval of a settlement from end-user consumers and more than 30 commercial and institutional indirect purchaser consumers comes after […]
In the News
January 12, 2021
“Everything We Know About Charges Rick Snyder, Others Face in Flint Water Scandal,” Detroit Free Press
The revived criminal investigation into the Flint water crisis expanded this week with charges now expected against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and other ex-officials for their role in the environmental catastrophe that devastated the majority Black city with lead-contaminated water, according to press reports and defense attorneys. The state attorney general’s office informed some […]
In the News
October 2, 2020
Realtor Group Can’t Ditch Antitrust Suit Over Commission
The National Association of Realtors can’t dodge a suit accusing it of breaking antitrust laws by imposing sales commission rules that can result in unfair charges to home sellers, an Illinois federal court declared Friday. The NAR had been trying to sway U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood to its position that the proposed class […]
In the News | Law360
August 20, 2020
Governor Whitmer Statement on $600M Preliminary Settlement for Flint Water Civil Lawsuits
Press Release Issued by: Governor of Michigan LANSING, Mich. – Last week, the State of Michigan agreed to a $600 million settlement of the civil lawsuits brought against the State of Michigan by Flint residents after the water supply for the City of Flint was switched to the Flint River on April 25, 2014. Governor […]
In the News
August 20, 2020
Here’s How Flint Families Will Get Paid in Water Crisis Settlement
The process of distributing $600 million to more than 33,000 Flint water victims will likely take months to complete, and it’s unlikely the money for the settlement will be available until the beginning of 2021. The settlement will encompass all Flint children who were younger than the age of 18 at the time of the […]
In the News | The Detroit News