Amazon has deep bench of defense lawyers to fight US FTC lawsuit
By Andrew Goudsward and Mike Scarcella
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s monopoly lawsuit against Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) filed on Tuesday poses perhaps the biggest legal test so far for the platoons of lawyers who have defended the technology giant for years against allegations of antitrust and consumer protection violations.
The long-awaited FTC case against Amazon, joined by 17 state attorneys general, accuses the company of abusing its dominance as an online retailer to thwart competitors and harm sellers and customers that rely on its platform. The company vowed to fight the lawsuit, saying its practices have spurred competition and innovation.
Kevin Hodges, a partner at law firm Williams & Connolly, was the first member of Amazon's defense team identified in a court document in the case.
Hodges, a former managing partner of the Washington-headquartered firm, is also representing Amazon in an ongoing antitrust lawsuit by California's attorney general accusing the company of forcing artificially high prices on consumers.
Williams & Connolly, known for its focus on litigation, in April successfully defeated a separate private lawsuit accusing the company of curbing competition for shipping and fulfillment services.
Hodges represented state attorneys general who joined the U.S. Justice Department's historic antitrust case against Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) in the 1990s and defended BP (NYSE:BP) in lawsuits following the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to court records and his firm's website. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Williams & Connolly is also a lead defense firm in another major antitrust case targeting Big Tech. Partner John Schmidtlein heads a team comprised of
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