Antitrust and Business Tort Litigation
For many decades Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis has litigated substantial matters involving business disputes of virtually every nature, ranging from antitrust to business torts and RICO. Our litigation attorneys have also developed in-depth knowledge of numerous industries including computers and information technology, finance, financial institutions, communications, advertising, mining, oil & gas and agricultural products. The firm's experience includes that of former government officials including Commissioner of the Federal Power Commission and a former Assistant Deputy Attorney General for the State of Mississippi.
Representative matters include:
• Precluded class certification and defeated individual RICO and business tort claims against the gaming industry aggregating more than sixty million dollars.
• Defeated antitrust claims against a large hospital through assertion of federal antitrust immunity.
• Prosecuted complex commercial bribery, Sherman Act and Robinson-Patman claims on behalf of a Fortune 500 company, recovering approximately twenty million dollars.
• Successful enforcement of numerous post-employment covenants including permanent injunction against former scientific employee of Fortune 500 company to protect proprietary intellectual property.
• Successfully defended significant fraud and conversion action against a large financial institution.
• Successfully represented a Fortune 500 company through contested Attorney General antitrust review of hostile takeover of a Fortune 500 target.
• Defeated complex RICO and commercial bribery claims totaling tens of millions of dollars on summary judgment while sustaining RICO and antitrust counter claims with a resulting seven figure settlement.
• Numerous successful representations of patent holders in patent infringement actions including obtaining permanent injunction and attorneys' fees against patent infringement within 90 days of filing complaint.
• Represented financial institution in tender offer and applications for regulatory approval, including competitive factors clearance by Department of Justice.
• Successfully represented new entrant in price-fixing, attempted monopolization and predatory pricing litigation.
• Obtained permanent injunction to prevent a major consumer appliance manufacturer from manufacturing and selling a steel mixer that violated the trade dress rights of client, another major manufacturer.
• Represented Department of Insurance Liquidator in professional liability litigation and related criminal investigation of insolvent insurance companies.
• Represented financial institution general counsel in resolution of FDIC director and officer liability litigation.
• Successfully defended health insurance company against allegations of bad faith by insurance speculator policy holder with resulting health care fraud investigation of speculator policy holder.