Antitrust laws, also referred to as “competition laws,” are statutes developed by the U.S. Government to protect consumers from predatory business practices by ensuring that fair competition exists in an open-market economy. Our group has worked on and litigated antitrust and price-fixing cases that have resulted in multi-million dollar settlements.
For example, our group, together with other firms across the country, have sued several brand name pharmaceutical manufacturers for engaging in anti-competitive conduct aimed at keeping generic drug manufacturers off the market. The suits allege that the brand name manufacturers’ fraudulent conduct effectively extended their patents causing higher prices for all entities and consumers downstream. Some of the pharmaceutical companies whom we have filed suit against for violating the anti-trust laws include Effexor XR, Lipitor, Nexium, Niaspan, Skelaxin, and Wellburtrin.
On March 23, 2012, Judge Marianna Battani of the Eastern District of Michigan appointed Don Barrett as co-lead counsel for the Automobile Dealer Actions in In Re: Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2311. In this capacity have lead the fight for over 20,000 automobile dealers in 29 states, victimized by one of the largest price-fixing conspiracies in history.
Don Barrett’s firm represented the State of Mississippi in its effort to recover monies lost by Mississippi consumers, and by the state itself, as a result of an alleged price-fixing conspiracy among infant formula manufacturers. Mr. Barrett also was also co-counsel for plaintiffs in state court class-actions in thirteen state court actions involving this same price-fixing conspiracy.