Articles Posted in FTC Antitrust Highlights

On February 13, 2014, the heads of the antitrust agencies of the U.S, Canada and Mexico—Chairwoman Edith Ramire of the FTC, Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the DOJ’s Aititrust Division, Canadian Commissioner of Competition John Pecman, and President Alejandra Palacios Prieto of the Mexican Federal Competition Commission—met in Washington, D.C. to discuss mutual efforts…

On January 24, 2014, the FTC won its court battle against St. Luke’s Health System’s acquisition of a large primary physician group – the Saltzer Medical Group – in Nampa, Idaho. Background  In March 2013, the FTC filed a complaint for an injunction against St. Luke’s, alleging that the Saltzer acquisition, which was not reportable…

On December 13, 2013, the FTC announced that both the Music Teacher’s National Association, Inc. (“MNTA”) and the California Association of Legal Support Professionals (“CALSPro”) agreed to eliminate provisions in their codes of ethics that limited competition among their members, in order to settle potential litigation brought by the FTC. Background According to the FTC,…

On November 1, 2013, the FTC commissioners unanimously voted to close a seven month investigation of the proposed Office Depot/OfficeMax merger.  The Commission issued a statement regarding its decision to close the transaction without taking any action. Background Regarding FTC’s Successful Challenge to Staples/Office Depot In 1997, the Commission blocked the proposed combination of Staples,…

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division (“Antitrust Division”) and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) will accept Hart-Scott-Rodino (“HSR”) premerger notification filings during the U.S. federal government shutdown.The Antitrust Division and the FTC split reviews under the HSR Act, which requires that mergers or acquisitions worth over $70.9 million must notify the federal government. The HSR…

In June and July of 2013, the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division, at the request of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), filed two civil suits against alleged violators of pre-merger notification filing requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (“HSR”) Act of 1976.HSR Act Currently, the HSR Act imposes notification and waiting period requirements on individuals and…

On April 2, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, (“Charlotte Pipe”), a leading producer and seller of cast iron soil pipes (“CISP”) used for sewage and drainage in the United States, entered into a settlement agreement to resolve the FTC’s concerns related to Charlotte Pipe’s acquisition of its competitor, Star…

On March 12, 2013, the FTC and the Idaho Attorney General jointly filed a complaint in federal district court seeking to block St. Luke’s Health System, Ltd.’s acquisition of Saltzer Medical Group P.A., Idaho’s largest independent, multi-specialty physician practice group. The transaction was consummated on December 31, 2012.According to the FTC, the joint complaint alleges…

On November 26, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that it will allow Robert Bosch GmbH (“Bosch”) to acquire SPX Service Solutions, U.S. LLC (“SPX”) after Bosch entered into a settlement agreement that resolves the FTC’s allegations that Bosch’s acquisition of SPX, as originally proposed, would have been anticompetitive. In addition, Bosch and the…

On November 15, 2012, the FTC approved Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.’s (“Hertz”) acquisition to acquire Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group inc. (“Dollar Thrifty”). The transaction was cleared after Hertz agreed to sell its Advantage Rent A Car (“Advantage”) business including 43 on-airport locations as well as 29 Dollar Thrifty on-airport locations to remedy alleged competitive harm…