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Judith Zahid
Partner
Oakland
555 12th Street
Suite 1230
Oakland CA 94607
TEL: (415) 633-1916
FAX: (415) 633-0770
{ mail } jzahid@zellelaw.com
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Judith A. Zahid

Judith is Managing Partner of the Oakland office and co-chair of the Firm’s Antitrust group. Judith’s practice is focused on assessing complex antitrust claims and pursuing recoveries on behalf of individual corporate clients in many different industries, with a growing expertise in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. She has represented plaintiffs in numerous high-stakes price-fixing and monopolization cases, with recoveries from those cases totaling well over $2 billion. While Judith is involved in all aspects of the cases she litigates, she places particular emphasis on her work with industry and damages experts.

Judith also has substantial experience helping corporate clients respond to civil investigative demands, government and civil litigation subpoenas, European Commission requests for information, and other third-party discovery obligations, including supporting clients called as non-party witnesses at trial.

Representative Matters

Antitrust and Unfair Competition

Represents United HealthCare Services, Inc. in three individual antitrust matters against the makers of more than 200 generic pharmaceutical drugs, alleging a widespread price-fixing and market allocation conspiracy; this matter has been consolidated with In re: Generic Pharmaceuticals Pricing Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2724. (United HealthCare Services, Inc. v. Actavis Holdco U.S., Inc., et al., No. 2:19-cv-00629-CMR (E.D. Pa.))

Represents United HealthCare Services, Inc. in an individual antitrust matter against Celgene, alleging it engaged in generic exclusion tactics to maintain its monopoly pricing of the drugs Revlimid and Thalomid. (United HealthCare Services, Inc. v. Celgene Corp., No. 0:20-cv-00686-DSD-ECW (D.N.J.))

Represents United HealthCare Services, Inc. in an individual antitrust matter against the manufacturers of the branded pharmaceutical drug, Zetia, and its generic equivalents, alleging they entered into an unlawful pay-for-delay agreement that prevented lower-priced generics from entering the market for several years. (United HealthCare Services, Inc. v. Merck & Co., Inc., et al., No. 20-cv-01909 (E.D. Va.))

Represents United HealthCare Services, Inc. in an individual antitrust matter against the manufacturers of the branded pharmaceutical drug, Xyrem, and its generic equivalents, alleging they entered into unlawful pay-for-delay and market share-allocation agreements to maintain artificially inflated supracompetitive prices of Xyrem for several years. (United HealthCare Services, Inc. v. Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., No. 5:21-cv-02710-RS (N.D. Cal.))

Represents United HealthCare Services, Inc. in an individual antitrust matter against Gilead, the branded manufacturer of several HIV cART pharmaceutical drugs, alleging it entered into unlawful pay-for-delay agreements with Teva to maintain artificially inflated supracompetitive prices of multiple drugs (including Truvada and Atripla), and for entering into other anticompetitive agreements to prevent generic competition. (United HealthCare Services, Inc. v. Gilead Sciences, Inc., et al., No. 3:21-cv-9202-EMC (N.D. Cal.))

Represents Verizon in its response to non-party discovery.  (United States, et al. v. Google LLC, No. 20-cv-2010-APM (D.D.C.) & State of Colorado, et al. v. Google LLC, No. 20-cv-3715-APM (D.D.C.))

Represented UnitedHealthcare, Inc. in its response to non-party discovery, including having to testify at a merger trial.  (Federal Trade Commission v. Hackensack Meridian Health, Inc. and Englewood Healthcare Foundation, No. 20-18140 (D.N.J.))

Represented El Pollo Loco, Inc. in an individual antitrust matter against the nation’s major broiler chicken suppliers, alleging a capacity-reduction and price-fixing conspiracy; this matter has been consolidated with In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, No. 1:16-cv-08637-TMD (N.D. Ill.))

Represented PABCO Building Products LLC in its defense of claims filed by several individual builders that accuse the domestic suppliers of drywall of engaging in a price-fixing conspiracy. (Ashton Woods Holdings L.L.C., et al. v. USG Corp., et al., No. 4:15-cv-01247-HSG (N.D. Cal.))

Represented United HealthCare Services, Inc. and resolved on confidential terms an individual antitrust matter against the makers of the branded pharmaceutical drug, Provigil, and its generic equivalents, alleging a successful pay-for delay scheme that kept the lower priced generics off the market for several years. (United HealthCare Services, Inc. v. Cephalon, Inc., et al., No. 2:17-cv-00555-MSG (E.D. Pa.))

Defended several Bay Area restaurants accused of engaging in a nationwide no-tipping conspiracy to drive up prices, helping get the case dismissed with prejudice. (Brown v. 140 NM LLC, et al., No. 4:17-cv-05782-JSW (N.D. Cal.))

Represented the end-user plaintiffs and served on the lead counsel team to help secure a record-breaking $1.1 billion all-cash settlement, in one of the nation’s largest antitrust cartel cases, having managed all day-to-day aspects of the litigation. (In re TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1827 (N.D. Cal.))

Articles & Presentations

"Private Plaintiffs’ Perspective," American Bar Association 2023 Antitrust Public/Private Enforcement Roundtable, October 12, 2023, panelist

“Working with Experts,” COSAL’s Diversity and Inclusion Summit, October 20, 2022, co-presenter

“Private Enforcement on the Rise," Informa’s Antitrust West Coast conference, May 12, 2022, co-presenter

"The State of Global Cartel Enforcement," 22nd Annual Policy Conference: Competition Enforcement in the International Arena hosted by the American Antitrust Institute, June 15-16, 2021, moderator

"Eureka! Foreign Evidence in U.S. Antitrust Litigation," ABA 2021 Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, March 26, 2021, moderator

"Leading Voices in Private Enforcement: Insights on Bringing and Litigating Successful Antitrust Cases," AAI’s 14th Annual Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference, November 20, 2020, moderator

"American Bar Association’s quarterly Women.Connected Spotlight," May 29, 2020, interview

"Celebrating Women in Competition Law in California," California Lawyers Association, March 5, 2020, panelist 

"Perspectives from the Plaintiff’s Bar," 2019 Antitrust & Consumer Protection In-House Institute, Devil's Thumb Ranch, CO, October 13-15, 2019, panelist 

"Thinking Critically About Pass-On and Contribution," American Bar Association Global Private Litigation Conference, Berlin, Germany, June 16-17, 2019, moderator and conference co-chair

"Resolving Class Actions," Northern District of California District Conference, April 12-14, 2019, panelist 

"Global Class Action Developments," ABA Section of Antitrust Law Annual Spring Meeting, Washington, DC, March 26-29, 2019, panelist 

"Will Apple’s App Store Lead to the end of Illinois Brick?," California Lawyers Association, July 26, 2018, panelist

"Self-Advocacy, Career Development & Personal Negotiation," Women in Law & Leadership Summit, April 19, 2018, panelist

"Mastering Negotiation: Negotiating for Yourself," Women In Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), San Francisco, CA, November 9, 2016, panelist

"Global Private Settlements: Preferred Paths to Resolution,” ABA Section of Antitrust Law Annual Spring Meeting, April 6-8, 2016, moderator

"The Un-Usual Suspects: Maximizing Value Out of Little-Known Bankruptcy Assets," 2016 Bankruptcy Battleground West Conference, March 11, 2016, panelist

"So Now You've Pleaded Guilty: Implications of Criminal Pleas in Civil Litigation," American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, December 16, 2015, co-presenter

"The Use of Experts at Class Certification," Class Action Litigation Conference, September 25, 2015, presenter

“International Collective Actions: What Is And Isn’t Working?,” American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, April 16, 2015

“Opt-Out Litigation: Practical Considerations for Corporate and Outside Counsel,” American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, February 25, 2015, panelist

“How States Can Effectively Analyze and Pursue Recovery Opportunities,” National Association of Attorneys General Antitrust Litigation Training Seminar, October 9, 2014, panelist

"Why Antitrust," American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, November 14, 2014, co-presenter

"How States Can Effectively Analyze and Pursue Recovery Opportunities," Women In Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), San Francisco, CA, November 9, 2016, panelist

“Behind the Scenes with In-House Antitrust Counsel,” Bar Association of San Francisco’s Antitrust Section, October 3, 2014, moderator

"How States Can Effectively Analyze and Pursue Recovery Opportunities," National Association of Attorneys General Antitrust Litigation Training Seminar, Madison, WI, October 8-10, 2014, panelist

"Finding Peace When Settling U.S. and EU Price-Fixing Claims," Competition Law360, April 28, 2014, co-author

"Corporations & Cartels: When Should You Be A Plaintiff?", 62nd ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, March 26-28, 2014, moderator

"Where To Bring Damages Claims In EU Int’l Cartel Cases?" Competition Law360, February 28, 2014, co-author

"Who Can Make the Claim? The Who, What, and Where of International Private Antitrust Actions," Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association, February 13, 2014, moderator 

"Unique Discovery Challenges In International Cartel Cases," Competition Law360, January 31, 2014, co-author

"Survival of the Fittest: Thriving in a Culture of Change,” Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), March 20, 2013, moderator

"Hypothetical in Action – Class Certification, FTAIA and CAFA," CLE International Group’s Antitrust Conference, February 22, 2013, co-presenter

"Selecting and Working with Experts in Antitrust," Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association, January 14, 2013, co-presenter

Professional Affiliations

Noteworthy

Ranked by Chambers & Partners USA in Band 1 in Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff – California and Band 2 in USA-Nationwide, Judith is recognized as a "very smart and capable" plaintiffs’ antitrust lawyer, according to market commentators. One source said: "She is able to tackle any complex task and work with experts to come back with a clear and well-written product.” (2018) Judith is “well respected by peers for her extensive experience litigating antitrust matters on behalf of plaintiffs. She regularly handles large class actions as well as individual lawsuits.” (2019) Judith is recommended for her representation of large plaintiff classes in complex damages cases. She also lends her expertise to corporate plaintiffs in significant individual actions. Peers attest that “Judith is spectacular and well respected. She's your secret weapon if you're going to trial.” (2020) "She is a top-drawer attorney who is very good at strategy, anticipating problems and creating solutions. She is sharp, down-to-earth and pleasant to work with." (2021) "One of the top minds in antitrust. Judith is not only a fantastic litigator but also extraordinarily thoughtful and develops strong relationships with her clients and co-counsel. Judith is an outstanding attorney across the board." (2022) “Judith Zahid is a stand-out for advising clients on their antitrust risks. Judith is an excellent all-round lawyer who you would want on any case with you. She is strategic, she is organized, and she thinks beyond the one case and about what the company’s broader needs are.” (2023)

Recognized by Who's Who Legal in its first edition of Thought Leaders: USA 2023, and Thought Leaders: Global Elite, 2023. 

Who’s Who Legal: Competition by Global Competition Review named Judith as a “Thought Leader” in Competition 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021: Plaintiff (noting that “Thought Leaders are those individuals who received the highest number of nominations from peers, corporate counsel and other market sources this year [and that GCR’s] research has identified them as being truly outstanding practitioners and the very best in their field”). Judith was also listed by Who’s Who Legal: Competition in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.  

The Best Lawyers in America® listed Judith for Litigation – Antitrust in 2018-2024. 

The Legal 500 has recognized Judith several times in the antitrust class action field as "one to watch" (2012), an “up-and-comer,” “great case organizer and determined advocate” (2013), and a "first-rate case manager," "up-and-comer who does much of the actual work needed in big cartel cases" (2014), “thoughtful” in representing consumers and businesses affected by price-fixing agreements between various electronics manufacturers, including Samsung, Panasonic and Hitachi (2015), “able to bring people together on both sides of a case to get things done” (2016), and noted for her representation of United HealthCare Services, Inc. (2017). She was named a “Leading Lawyer” in the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions.

San Francisco magazine has named Judith among the Top 50 Women Northern California "Super Lawyers" for 2014-2023; and among the Top 100 Northern California “Super Lawyers” for 2015-2023. Judith was named a Northern California "Super Lawyer" in antitrust litigation for 2012-2023, and had been a "Rising Star" for 2009-2011.

Benchmark Litigation recognized Judith as a Benchmark California Star for 2019-2022.

Named among the 2019-2023 Lawdragon "500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers."

Named among Daily Journal’s 2020 list of ‘Top Antitrust Lawyers’ in California.





 The Legal 500 - The Clients Guide to Law Firms
 
Judith A. Zahid
 



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