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Tim is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, where he represents corporations and individuals facing potential civil and criminal exposure. Tim’s experience in government investigations, enforcement actions, and white-collar litigation spans a number of industries, including financial services, pharmaceutical, health care, and government contracting, among others.

On March 6, the California Department of Justice’s (California DOJ) Antitrust Chief Paula Blizzard, announced at the American Bar Association’s National Institute on White Collar Crime that her office is planning to reinvigorate criminal antitrust prosecutions. California’s antitrust law, the Cartwright Act, prohibits practices that restrict commerce, prevent competition, or enter agreements that lessen competition. Blizzard touted that the Cartwright Act is “broader and deeper” than its federal counterpart, the Sherman Act. She conceded that the California DOJ has not brought a criminal prosecution under the Cartwright Act in 25 years, but she expects that to change.Continue Reading California DOJ to Ramp Up Criminal Antitrust Enforcement

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a coalition of nine state attorneys general (AG) filed a lawsuit on February 26, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon seeking a preliminary injunction to stall Kroger Company’s (Kroger) proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons Companies (Albertsons), citing concerns that the proposed deal would eliminate competition among the supermarket giants, leading to higher grocery prices for millions of Americans. FTC commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the lawsuit, which was joined by AGs from Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming. Simultaneously, the FTC filed an administrative complaint against Kroger and Albertsons to block the proposed transaction.Continue Reading FTC and a Coalition of Nine AGs Sue to Block Kroger’s Proposed $24.6B Acquisition of Albertsons

Most products with an online marketing presence generally have “customer reviews.” However, today’s consumers cannot always trust that those reviews are from real purchasers or provide honest feedback about the quality of a product. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sought to address these concerns, proposing a new rule aimed at stopping marketers from using illicit review and endorsement practices, including using fake reviews, suppressing honest negative reviews, and paying for positive reviews. Proponents of the rule argue these types of practices deceive consumers who are looking for honest feedback on a product or service.Continue Reading FTC to Hold Hearing on Proposed Rule to Ban Fake Reviews

Updated November 11, 2022 at 11:29 AM ET

2022 State Attorneys General Election Re-Cap

On November 8, 30 states and the District of Columbia held elections for state attorneys general. Below are the current results of the elections for each of the 31 races. We will continue to update this blog post as results are

Two dozen Republican attorneys general (AGs), led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, sent a letter to the CEOs of credit card giants Visa, American Express, and Mastercard, warning them to halt plans that would add a new merchant category code for gun retailers. The International Organization for Standardization

On June 22, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) released the Spring 2022 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. OIRA is the government’s central authority to review executive branch regulations. The report, which includes both short- and long-term regulatory actions that administrative agencies plan to take, notably included several contributions from the

Creation of CyTech. On May 9, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) announced the creation of the NAAG Center on Cyber and Technology (CyTech), joining a number of other centers focused upon key issues for state attorneys general and the public, including tobacco and public health, ethics and public integrity, and consumer protection.

Purpose: