Christopher A. Williams Partner

Federal and state enforcers highlighted an ambitious agenda at the 2023 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting. From criminal no-solicitation, no-poach, wage-fixing, and monopolization cases to a more aggressive merger strategy, this Update discusses 10 takeaways that companies should have on their radars.

Top federal agency leaders previewed plans for broader antitrust enforcement at the 2023 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting.

At the American Bar Association's 2023 Antitrust Spring Meeting, held in March in Washington, D.C., representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission confirmed their agenda to reinvigorate and modernize antitrust merger enforcement.

At the American Bar Association's 2023 Antitrust Spring Meeting, held in March in Washington, D.C., representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission confirmed their agenda to reinvigorate and modernize antitrust merger enforcement.

The new Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 includes the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, which amends the amounts and tiers for Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 filing fees as discussed in a prior Update. It also includes two important amendments to antitrust laws.

The FTC recently announced its annual adjustments to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and interlocking directorate thresholds. Notably, the minimum HSR size-of-transaction threshold has increased from $101 million to $111.4 million. There is a new filing fee schedule resulting from the enactment of the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, which will significantly increase filing fees for transactions valued in excess of $500 million and decrease them for transactions valued under $161.5 million. The new HSR jurisdictional and filing fee thresholds will be effective as of February 27, 2023, while the revised interlocking directorate thresholds are already in effect.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission voted 5-0 to issue a complaint and accept a proposed order for public comment regarding private equity fund JAB Consumer Partners SCA SICAR’s $1.1 billion acquisition of SAGE Veterinary Partners, LLC on June 13, 2022.

The American Bar Association's 70th Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, held April 5-8 in Washington, provided a forum for lively debate among current and former antitrust agency officials concerning the progressive merger enforcement reforms implemented or proposed by the representatives of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, led by Chair Lina Khan, and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, led by Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter.

The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that the reporting thresholds under Section 7A of the Clayton Act ... will be increased.

On January 18, 2022, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division (the agencies) launched a joint public inquiry to modernize and strengthen merger enforcement.