Steptoe LLP

Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month! In recognition of the 2024 theme, “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together,” we are proud to celebrate generations of Hispanic and Latinx Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation, society, and the legal profession. #NationalHispanicHeritageMonth

Wishing you a peaceful and meaningful Yom Kippur. 

The FTC suddenly withdrew from the DOL/NLRB/FTC/DOJ labor antitrust MOU only a month after the agencies executed it and without explanation. In this blogpost, we cover the conditions of the MOU, and the FTC’s stance toward labor issues, which includes a discussion of the FTC’s challenge of the Kroger/Albertson’s merger. Visit our website to read “FTC Withdraws from Multiagency Labor Agreement a Month After Signing It,” authored by partner David Isaak: https://lnkd.in/epUUtk8P

Bloomberg and Banking Dive quoted partner Julia Strickland in articles discussing a lawsuit filed by New York State against Citibank, alleging the bank fails to adequately prevent online fraud and does not reimburse scam victims. Strickland said: “Citi and the banking industry are not in any way the bad guys here.” She said the state is trying to improperly rewrite the Electronic Fund Transfer Act through “litigation rather than legislation.” Steptoe represents Citibank in the matter New York v. Citibank N.A., 24-cv-00659, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan). Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/eW7t-hBF

Please join us on Wednesday, November 6, for the second installment of Steptoe’s webinar series focused on US, UK, and EU regulatory, compliance, and dispute issues relevant to private and public entities in Asia. In this webinar, partners Christophe Bondy, Patrick Linehan, Zachary Song, and Wendy Wysong will discuss the use of AI in regulatory investigations, compliance and international proceedings, and recent developments in UK enforcement of international arbitration awards. For more information and to register, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/e2mf2ygG

Join associates Daniel Podair and Shannon Reid on Thursday, October 24, for a Lorman Education Services webinar on “The Role of Customer Service in Consumer Privacy.” Dan and Shannon will discuss customer privacy as an important part of business strategy, provide an overview of the privacy landscape in the US at both the federal and state levels, and examine the key role customer service professionals play on the front lines of compliance with federal and state legal requirements.   For more information and to register, follow this link: https://lnkd.in/e4jieSNR

Save the date! Registration is now open for Tuesday, April 29 - Wednesday, April 30, 2025 to attend our third annual Complimentary Food Contact Conference in Washington, DC. Join members of Steptoe's Global Food Contact Materials Team for a day and a half of interactive programming and conversation. Our in-person course will provide attendees with an overview of food packaging regulations and provide updates regarding food contact-related activities throughout the globe. Seats are limited! Visit our website to secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/e3H4Hbxp

Steptoe achieved a significant victory for our client, Medtronic, securing dismissal of a qui tam False Claims Act action in the Southern District of New York. The case involved a whistleblower’s allegations that Medtronic engaged in a fraudulent scheme to encourage customers to reuse an optional component of Medtronic’s iPro2 Continuous Glucose Monitoring system on multiple patients, contrary to the device’s Food and Drug Administration label, leading to false claims for federal and state healthcare reimbursements. The Steptoe team was led by partners Julia Gatto and Patrick Linehan, along with partner Dwight Draughon* and associates Caitlin Conroy and Joshua Dupre. Visit our website for more information: https://lnkd.in/eYxJG-dH *Dwight Draughon is currently on leave to serve as investigative counsel on the bipartisan Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump.

September was an eventful month for merger control in the EU and UK! Our recent blog post explores the lessons of Illumina, Inc. v. European Commission, Microsoft / Inflection AI and Amazon / Anthropic AI, and what they indicate about the approaches to merger control enforcement in Europe, the UK, and beyond. Visit our website to read “Forecasting Merger Control At The Frontier,” authored by partners Ronan Scanlan, Charles Whiddington, and Michael Weiner: https://lnkd.in/ea9RPm9U

We are excited to share that partner Anne-Gabrielle HAIE has been appointed an independent expert in the European Commission’s expert group in charge of drafting the first General-purpose AI Code of Practice.   Congratulations Anne-Gabrielle! Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/e_kCwah3