Cases
Noteworthy Representations: In 2012, Mr. Benz achieved a significant ruling from the Federal Circuit in Ritz Camera & Image, LLC v. SanDisk Corporation, 700 F.3d 503 (Fed. Cir. 2012). The Federal Circuit held that direct purchasers have st
ing to pursue Walker Process (fraud on the Patent
Trademark Office) antitrust claims. Supporting amicus briefs were submitted by the Department of Justice
the Federal Trade Commission, more than thirty state Attorneys General,
more than thirty law professors.
Mr. Benz
his partners were retained by AT&T Inc. to serve as lead trial counsel in the Department of Justice lawsuit to enjoin the merger of AT&T Inc.
T-Mobile USA, Inc., United States of America v. AT&T Inc., T-Mobile USA, Inc.,
Deutsche Telekom AG, Civil No. 11-01560 (ESH) (D.D.C.).
Mr. Benz was one of the lead attorneys in Conwood Co. v. United States Tobacco Co., 290 F.3d 768 (6th Cir. 2002), in which the firm won the largest Sherman Act 2 damages award in history for our client. A jury awarded a judgment (after trebling) of $1.05 billion. This verdict was affirmed by the Sixth Circuit in 2002. Id.
Mr. Benz was one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs in Coordination Proceedings Special Title (Rule 1550(b)) Microsoft I - V Cases, J.C.C.P. No. 4106 (Cal. Super. Ct., San Fran.). He investigated, drafted
filed the complaint in Lingo et al. v. Microsoft Corp., No. 301357 (Cal. Super. Ct., San Fran.), which became the lead case against Microsoft in California after consolidation, on February 18, 1999. On January 10, 2003, plaintiffs' counsel
the class representatives reached an agreement with Microsoft on a settlement, which provided $1.1 billion in monetary benefits to California consumers
municipalities. This settlement is the largest recovery of a monopoly overcharge ever achieved in the United States
the largest recovery ever achieved under California's Cartwright Act or California's Unfair Competition Act.
