Insights

Los Angeles – January 29, 2026: The Los Angeles Business Journal named Crowell & Moring’s Sima Namiri-Kalantari and Amy Karnikian to its 2026 Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys list. This prestigious recognition highlights attorneys who are making a profound impact on the legal community and who serve as trusted advisors throughout the L.A. region.

Los Angeles – June 5, 2025: The Los Angeles Business Journal has named Crowell & Moring partners Emily Kuwahara and Sima Namiri-Kalantari to its 2025 Women of Influence: Attorneys list. The honorees demonstrate “exceptional legal skill and achievement across the full spectrum of responsibility, exemplary leadership as evidenced by the highest professional and ethical standards, and for contributions to the Los Angeles community at large.”

There were two significant developments recently at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in its enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), a statute that broadly prohibits sellers from engaging in price discrimination that harms competition. First, the Commission settled a litigation against Southern Glazer’s that was initially brought during the Biden administration, and second, the Commission also announced the resolution of an investigation into price discrimination by Gildan Activewear and S&S holdings in the wholesale T-shirt distribution industry. These developments signal a more measured approach to the RPA than in the prior administration but are nonetheless a reminder to companies that the RPA is alive and well and remains an important tool for enforcers and plaintiffs to address price discrimination. Companies that sell to retailers or operate in distribution channels should consider periodic reviews of their pricing structures and compliance programs to ensure compliance with the RPA. 

Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater of the Department of Justice, and Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Commissioner Mark Meador of the Federal Trade Commission, have each looked to the history of conservative voices to chart a path forward for antitrust enforcement in the second Trump Administration. Within the last three weeks, AAG Slater delivered remarks to the University of Notre Dame Law School, Chairman Ferguson delivered remarks at the International Competition Network Annual Conference, and Commissioner Meador shared his policy aims in an FTC paper and a speech to George Washington University. The enforcers emphasized the need for robust antitrust enforcement to break private monopolies and other anticompetitive arrangements. These enforcers appear to align on priorities, though differing slightly in methods, grounding their rationale in what they describe as traditional conservative values, while at the same time distancing themselves from previous Republican administrations which have emphasized anti-cartel policies and an otherwise preference for limited intervention in markets.

Throughout history, businesses have used new technologies to make themselves more efficient and competitive. Some of these technologies—operating software, internet search, social media—have led to antitrust litigation in varying contexts.