Zelle LLP Partners Chris Micheletti and Judith Zahid named among California's 2020 Top Antitrust Lawyers by the Daily Journal
June 25, 2020Zelle LLP partners Chris Micheletti and Judith Zahid have been named to the Daily Journal's 2020 list of 'Top Antitrust Lawyers' in California. The Daily Journal compiled its annual list from hundreds of nominations submitted by lawyers statewide, with the honorees selected by editors based on the impact of their work in plaintiffs, defense, and government antitrust work.
Micheletti is a commercial litigator with extensive experience in antitrust litigation. In three of his current cases, class actions involving price-fixing claims have gotten a boost from federal investigations by government prosecutors. "Department of Justice involvement is always helpful," he said, "though there's still a long road to a successful civil resolution.”
As Micheletti told the Daily Journal, “It's all about seeking relief for consumers.”
Zahid is co-chair of Zelle LLP's antitrust group and the managing partner of the firm's San Francisco office. She represents the restaurant chain El Pollo Loco, Inc. in an individual antitrust claim against the nation's major broiler chicken suppliers. The complaint, filed in March, alleges a capacity-reduction and price-fixing conspiracy. The litigation took a turn favorable to plaintiffs in early June when federal prosecutors criminally indicted some of the same industry executives named in the civil suits. The new federal indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Colorado. In a single count, it names current and former executives at Pilgrim's Pride and Claxton Poultry Farms and alleges they fixed prices and rigged bids from 2012 to 2017.
For another client, United HealthCare Services, Inc., said to be the largest health care company in the world by revenue, Zahid has filed antitrust claims against numerous generic drug makers accused of price fixing, which is looking to be one of the largest conspiracies in history.
