Gregory (Greg) Heltzer is a partner at McDermott Will & Emery, based in the Washington office. Greg analyzes the antitrust implications of most transactions involving a publicly traded company – including over 800 in the last decade. Greg focuses his practice on defending mergers and acquisitions and has successfully defended mergers for DaVita, Mars, Martin Marietta Materials, Olam, TreeHouse Foods, Motorola Solutions, Le Duff America, JAB Partners (Coty), Aleris, and Blackboard among others. His advice allows C-Suite decision makers to ensure that time and money are not wasted on potential transactions without a viable path for clearance. When transactions move forward, Greg guides clients through the clearance process with a focus on providing enforcers with the information needed so that the merging parties can avoid or at the very least significantly reduce the scope of a costly/time-consuming Second Request. In addition, he handles complex antitrust litigation, government investigations and antitrust counseling. Greg has experience in all three branches of government. Prior to joining the Firm, he served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable John A. Terry of the DC Court of Appeals. Before entering law school, Greg worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency in the Energy Star Program. He also served as a legislative intern on the staff of the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works under the late Senator John Chafee (R-RI). While in law school, Greg was a member of The Tax Lawyer. Greg also founded McDermott’s Antitrust Alert blog and continues as its managing editor.
56
Proposed Merger Guidelines Outline Fundamental Change of Approach to Merger Investigation and Enforcement Mergers and acquisitions will continue to face strong headwinds at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under new proposed Merger Guidelines released (...)
96
What happened On February 3, 2023, the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) Antitrust Division announced the withdrawal of three policy statements related to antitrust enforcement in healthcare. Although the withdrawn statements focus on healthcare, DoJ’s decision to withdraw these statements (...)
710
Congress has passed—and President Biden is expected to sign into law today—the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, which will significantly change antitrust merger notification regulations under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR Act), 15 U.S.C. § 18a. Included in the changes is language (...)
566
Seven Corporate Directors Resign: DOJ Ramps Enforcement Against Board Members Serving on Competitors’ Boards* What Happened Seven directors resigned from corporate boards following promises of enforcement of Clayton Act Section 8 (15 U.S.C. § 19) by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), (...)
82
WHAT HAPPENED GPM Investments (GPM) acquired 60 gas stations from Corrigan Oil (Corrigan). As part of the acquisition agreement, Corrigan agreed not to compete for a period of time with the gas stations purchased from Corrigan. In addition, Corrigan agreed not to compete with GPM for another (...)
212
On February 9, 2022, the US Treasury Department (Treasury) released a report with recommendations for how the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) can help drive competition in the beer, wine and spirits markets by stepping up (...)
272
What Happened On March 2, 2022, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard Powers revealed that the DOJ intends to investigate and pursue alleged criminal violations against individuals or companies who violate Section 2 of the Sherman (...)
245
In remarks delivered on January 18, 2022, and January 24, 2022, Jonathan Kanter, the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, laid out the areas where he perceives shortcomings in antitrust enforcement. These speeches signaled that the (...)
33
US antitrust enforcers have signaled that private equity firms are the prime targets for upcoming aggressive antitrust merger enforcement. In a recent interview, US Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter stated that the motive of a private equity firm may be “designed to hollow out or roll (...)
224
What Happened: The FTC and DOJ proposed new Hart–Scott–Rodino (HSR) rules that, if issued in final form, will significantly change HSR practice for Private Equity (PE) companies. The Proposed Rules are subject to comment for 60 days after they are published in the Code of Federal Regulations (...)
151
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently extracted a $3.5 million civil penalty from two companies involved in a gas station merger. The FTC asserts the companies violated their settlement agreement with the government, which required the divestment of 10 gas stations within 120 days (...)
353
In a prior note we provided guidance on COVID-19’s Impact on HSR Filing Timelines. The Agencies had indicated that early termination would not be granted while FTC operated on a temporary e-filing system. Today, the Agencies have updated that guidance and as of March 30 will again grant (...)
155
With COVID-19-related closures rolling in daily, you may have questions about the operating status of the federal government’s antitrust enforcement agencies. Currently, the HSR review process does not seem to be significantly impacted, although the agencies will not grant a request for early (...)
277
NOTIFICATION THRESHOLD UNDER THE HART-SCOTT-RODINO ACT INCREASED TO $94 MILION* The US Federal Trade Commission today announced increased thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and for determining whether parties trigger the prohibition against interlocking (...)
155
FTC AND DOJ DRAFT VERTICAL MERGER GUIDELINES PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRANSPARENCY TO AGENCY PRACTICE* For the first time since the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) published non-horizontal merger guidelines in 1984, the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued updated Vertical (...)
283
THE LATEST: FTC’s New “Technology Task Force” Has Broad Mandate Including Review of Consummated Transactions* The US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Competition announced the launch of a new Technology Task Force that will investigate anticompetitive conduct, review past (...)
114
THE LATEST: DOJ Announces New Model Timing Agreement for Merger Investigations* Consistent with Assistant Attorney General Delrahim’s speech on September 25, 2018, the DOJ released a new Model Timing Agreement which sets out that it will require fewer custodians, take fewer depositions, and (...)
90
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it has challenged a merger between Wilhelmsen Maritime Services (Wilhelmsen) and Drew Marine Group (Drew) because of an overlap in service to “global fleet customers,” a narrow customer segment that purchases marine water treatment (...)
139
THE LATEST: FTC CHALLENGES RETAIL FUEL STATION AND CONVENIENCE STORE TRANSACTION— REQUIRES TEN LOCALIZED DIVESTITURES IN WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA* WHAT HAPPENED: Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT) and its subsidiaries (including Circle K Stores, Inc.) are engaged in the retail sale of (...)
87
What Happened: On February 14, 2017, Integra agreed to purchase Johnson & Johnson’s Codman neurosurgery business (excluding Codman’s neurovascular and drug deliver businesses) for $1.045 billion. Seven months later, on September 25, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) agreed to clear (...)
59
The two current commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved another final order and consent agreement with a trade association, this time with the National Association of Animal Breeders, Inc. (NAAB). What happened: NAAB is a non-profit corporation of approximately 24 (...)
147
Azim Makanojiya founded Zaappaaz Inc. as a nineteen-year-old university student and quickly turned it into a multi-million dollar business. WHAT HAPPENED: On Tuesday, August 7, online retailer Zaappaaz Inc. and its twenty-nine-year-old president and founder, Azim Makanojiya, agreed to plead (...)
78
On July 24, 2017, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an antitrust counterclaim brought by ICTSI Oregon, Inc. (ICTSI), the operator of a marine shipping facility, against the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime (...)
107
SECOND CIRCUIT CLARIFIES FIFTH AMENDMENT LAW, WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR US PROSECUTION OF INTERNATIONAL CARTELS* On July 19, 2017, the Second Circuit vacated the convictions and dismissed the indictments of two individuals accused of playing a role in the manipulation of the London Interbank (...)
79
The two current commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a final order and consent agreement with the American Guild of Organists (AGO) after a public comment period of two months. The FTC alleged that the AGO violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act by (...)
92
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently granted US antitrust clearance for Enbridge’s acquisition of Spectra after the parties agreed to behavioral commitments to remedy an overlap for natural gas pipeline transportation from the wellhead in three markets off the coast of Louisiana (Green (...)
121
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenged a consummated transaction using a monopolization theory to allege that the acquisition would eliminate “nascent” competition for therapeutic adrenocorticotropic hormones (ACTH) in the United States. WHAT HAPPENED: Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s (...)
39
The FTC has entered into a final settlement with Drug Testing Compliance Group LLC (DTC Group) by order issued January 21, 2016, resolving an administrative case that alleged DTC Group had invited a competitor to collude with respect to customer allocation in violation of §5 of the Federal (...)
80
FORMER TOYODA GOSEI EXECUTIVE PLEADS GUILTY TO PRICE-FIXING, BID-RIGGING* On January 6, 2015, Makoto Horie of Toyoda Gosei North America pled guilty to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for conspiring to fix the prices of automotive hoses sold to U.S. companies. Mr. Horie was (...)
71
DISTRICT COURT PARES DOWN PRICE DISCRIMINATION SUIT AGAINST CHRYSLER* On July 11, 2014, the Northern District of California dismissed one of two federal antitrust claims brought against Chrysler Group LLC under the Robinson-Patman Act, 15 U.S. C. § 13, as well as several state statutory and (...)
44
On May 8, 2015, a jury in Puerto Rico acquitted Thomas Farmer (Farmer), the former vice president of price and yield management for Crowley Liner Services, Inc., of conspiring to suppress and eliminate competition in violation of Sherman Act, Section 1. The case is United States v. Thomas (...)
204
JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF DOJ FINDING BAZAARVOICE/POWERREVIEWS MERGER ANTICOMPETITIVE* On January 8, 2014, Judge Orrick of the Northern District of California ruled that Bazaarvoice’s acquisition of competitor PowerReviews violated Section 7 of the Clayton Act. The ruling was in favor of the (...)
44
POTATO PRICE-FIXING CASE SURVIVES MOTION TO DISMISS HOLDS THAT PRE-PRODUCTION AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT RESTRICTIONS ARE NOT EXEMPT UNDER CAPPER-VOLSTEAD* On December 2, 2011, a federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation involving an alleged potato price-fixing conspiracy denied a motion to (...)
57
COMPETITION LAW REFORM IN BRAZIL: IMPLICATIONS FOR MERGER CONTROL* Brazil’s House of Representatives passed a long-awaited competition bill (the Competition Bill) on 5 October 2011, making significant changes to Brazilian competition law. The Competition Bill has yet to be signed into law by (...)
23
On May 10, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil lawsuit against George’s Inc. to block its $3M acquisition of Tyson Foods Inc.’s, Harrisonburg, Virginia chicken processing plant, showing that deals of all sizes face scrutiny. This case also continues the trend of challenges to (...)
389
McDermott Will & Emery lawyers succeeded in obtaining the necessary antitrust approval for clients Seadrift Coke L.P. (Seadrift), the world’s second largest petroleum-based needle coke producer, and C/G Electrodes LLC (C/G), a U.S.-based graphite electrode producer, which have been (...)
