Stephen has secured victories for clients in the pharmaceutical, technology and entertainment industries, among others, including:

• Successfully arguing that antitrust conspiracy claims asserted against companies that managed student-housing rental properties — including BH Management Services, B.HOM Student Living, and Timberline Real Estate Ventures — should be dismissed. Following a hearing, the court granted the student-housing defendants’ joint motion to dismiss, with prejudice, on the strength of Stephen’s oral argument. See In re RealPage, Inc. Rental Software Antitrust Litig. (No. II), 709 F. Supp. 3d 478 (M.D. Tenn. 2023).
• Representing Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. in In re Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Litigation and In re Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, putative class actions in which the plaintiffs alleged a conspiracy to restrict the global supply of DRAM products. Stephen and his team repeatedly prevailed over two sets of class-action plaintiffs, securing multiple dismissals of their successive complaints. In 2022, the Ninth Circuit unanimously affirmed these victories. See In re Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Litig., 28 F.4th 42 (9th Cir. 2022).
• Successfully arguing for the dismissal of an antitrust class action in which plaintiffs alleged that TransUnion conspired with Experian and Equifax to omit certain medical-debt data from consumer credit reports, in violation of federal and state antitrust laws.
• Representing Samsung Bioepis in In re Humira (Adalimumab) Antitrust Litigation, the first “reverse-payment” litigation involving biologics and biosimilars. Stephen played a leading role in developing the defendants’ dismissal arguments. In June 2020, the district court granted defendants’ motion to dismiss in full, and in August 2022, the Seventh Circuit unanimously affirmed. See In re Humira (Adalimumab) Antitrust Litig., 465 F. Supp. 3d 811 (N.D. Ill. 2020), aff’d sub nom. Mayor & City Council of Baltimore v. AbbVie Inc., 42 F.4th 709 (7th Cir. 2022).
• Winning the dismissal with prejudice of antitrust claims alleging that ExxonMobil Corp. conspired with competing oil companies and foreign governments to restrict the global production of oil during the COVID-19 pandemic. See D’Augusta v. Am. Petroleum Inst., No. 22-cv-1979-JSW, 2023 WL 137474 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 9, 2023).
• Defending ExxonMobil Corp. against an antitrust class action alleging that oil refiners colluded to increase California gasoline prices by reducing the supply of gasoline to the state. In September 2022, the district judge granted summary judgment in favor of ExxonMobil and its co-defendants, extinguishing claims seeking tens of billions of dollars in total damages. See Persian Gulf Inc. v. BP W. Coast Prods., LLC, 632 F. Supp. 3d 1108 (S.D. Cal. 2022).
• Obtaining summary judgment on behalf of Par Sterile Products LLC and Par Pharmaceutical Cos., Inc. in an antitrust case alleging that the defendants monopolized the market for a life-saving injectable product by entering into unlawful exclusive agreements with suppliers of the active pharmaceutical ingredient used to manufacture the product. See Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC v. Par Sterile Prods., LLC, No. 16-4544 (SDW) (LDW) (D.N.J. Oct. 1, 2021), Dkt. 265.
• Writing the winning summary judgment brief on behalf of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. in In re Optical Disk Drives Antitrust Litigation, wiping out class plaintiffs’ multi-billion-dollar treble damages claims against the world’s leading electronics manufacturers. In November 2019, the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision. See In re Optical Disk Drive Antitrust Litig., No. 10-md-2143-RS, 2017 WL 6503743 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 18, 2017), aff’d, 785 F. App’x 406 (9th Cir. 2019).
• Representing Alaska Airlines in regulatory proceedings and in private litigation in connection with Alaska’s merger with Hawaiian Airlines.
• Representing Asiana Airlines in regulatory proceedings in connection with its merger with Korean Airlines.
• Representing Global Music Rights in a years-long antitrust battle against the Radio Music License Committee. Stephen and his colleagues ultimately negotiated an extremely favorable settlement.
• Representing legendary boxing promoter Top Rank in a high-profile antitrust and unfair competition lawsuit against a famous boxing magnate. After defeating a hard-fought motion to dismiss, Stephen obtained a favorable settlement with significant monetary and structural relief for Top Rank.
• Defending Asiana Airlines in multi-district litigation alleging a global price-fixing conspiracy in the air cargo shipping industry.
• Representing multiple asylum seekers and refugees seeking protection in the United States.

Matters may have been completed prior to joining Paul Hastings.

Publications

• Author, “The FTAIA’s “Domestic Effects” Exception: Why the Ninth Circuit Got It Right,” Competition, 2020
• Author, “May I Have Another? Antitrust Immunity for Serial Petitioning,” The Daily Journal, 2020
• Co-Author, “High Court Disgorgement Ruling Doesn’t Empower FTC,” Law360, 2020

Speaking Engagements

• “Antitrust Ethics in Action,” 34th Annual Golden State Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Institute, October 2024
• “Antitrust Ethics in Action,” 33rd Annual Golden State Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Institute, October 2023
• “U.S. Antitrust and Intellectual Property Law: Current Issues & Trends,” Fronteo Webinar, October 2023
• “FTC v. Actavis and Patent Settlements: What Have We Learned After 10 Years?,” CLE, June 2023
• “Antitrust Enforcement in 2021: What to Expect From the Biden Administration and Global Enforcers,” Webinar, February 2021

• Executive Committee, Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the California Lawyers Association, 2019-22
• Editor-in-Chief, Competition, Volume 32, 2022
• Executive Committee, Antitrust and Unfair Business Practices Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, 2018-20