Stephen M. Medlock
2200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 500 West
Washington, D.C. 20037
I take pride in efficiently resolving my clients' highest stakes and most complex antitrust matters. I learn my clients' business inside and out so that I can find the solutions that others don't see. Steve Medlock is an experienced antitrust litigator who brings dedication, intensity, and commercial common sense to his representations of Fortune 500 clients, whether navigating through complex multidistrict class actions or successfully defending clients in grand jury investigations. Clients place their trust in Steve to develop unique and complex antitrust arguments for both defendants and plaintiffs. Steve’s unique mix of plaintiff and defense-side experience allows him to see the issues that exclusive defense-sided practitioners miss in a full range of antitrust matters, including corporate counseling, internal investigations, civil non-merger and criminal cartel investigations, and litigation. In these areas, Steve is known for providing practical advice that business executives can digest. Steve has secured victories for clients in major antitrust class actions and B2B antitrust cases alleging monopolization and attempted monopolization at critical stages, including winning dismissal prior to discovery and prevailing at summary judgment. His depositions and briefs have been quoted in the The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Politico.
Steve is a recognized as a part of the next generation of leadership in the antitrust bar. He currently serves as a Vice Chair on the Exemptions and Immunities Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law. He is also the co-editor of the third edition ABA’s Noerr-Pennington Handbook.
Behind the scenes, Steve is a trusted antitrust advisor and advocate in antitrust compliance matters, with a particular focus on clients in the food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, automotive, and high technology industries.
Experience Highlights
Representing Delta Dental member companies in connection with a series of consolidated class actions alleging that Delta Dental companies underpaid dentists
Representing national property management company in connection with a series of consolidated class actions alleging the existence of a conspiracy to increase or stabilize the price of apartments using a common algorithm
Representing a transportation company in a non-public antitrust investigation
Representing United States Steel Corporation in litigation alleging that major domestic steel companies conspired to boycott sales of steel slab to a competitor
Representing an elite college in class action alleging that highly-selective universities conspired to limit need-based financial aid paid to admitted undergraduate students
Represented a poultry company in multiple antirust class actions alleging that poultry companies conspired to cut the supply of broiler chickens and turkeys and suppress compensation paid to poultry industry employees
Obtained summary judgment and complete appellate victory in In re Chocolate Confectionary Antitrust Litigation, 801 F.3d 383 (3d Cir. 2015) and Sterling Merchandising, Inc. v. Nestle S.A., 656 F.3d 112 (1st Cir. 2011)
Obtained dismissal of claims against multinational energy corporation direct-action cases, and state attorney general cases alleging that it engaged with other defendants in a decade-long conspiracy to bribe Venezuelan officials and rig bids for the sale and purchase of crude oil submitted to PDVSA, allegedly costing PDVSA billions of dollars in lost revenue; the trust was purportedly assigned the claims of PDVSA and the Venezuelan government so that it could litigate on PDVSA’s behalf in the U.S. courts
Represented multiple corporate client in non-public antitrust grand jury investigations and responses to civil investigative demands served by the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general
Represented multiple executives alleged to have conspired abroad to fix the prices of automotive parts destined for the US market
Credentials
- American University Washington College of Law, JD, cum laude, Mooer’s Trophy for Outstanding Student in Trial Advocacy; Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (2007-2008), 2009
- Georgetown University, BSFS, International Politics, 2006
- Co-Chair, Exemptions & Immunities Committee, America Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law
- District of Columbia
- Virginia
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- English
- Russian
- InsightMay 1, 2023
V&E Antitrust Update
- InsightApril 3, 2023
Published in IFLR, March 21, 2023
- InsightMarch 27, 2023
- InsightMarch 20, 2023
- InsightMarch 16, 2023
- InsightFebruary 23, 2023
V&E Antitrust Update
- InsightJanuary 31, 2023
- InsightJanuary 10, 2023
V&E Antitrust Update
- InsightJanuary 6, 2023
V&E Non-Compete Update
- InsightDecember 8, 2022
V&E Antitrust Update
- InsightNovember 8, 2022
V&E Antitrust Update
- Press ReleaseOctober 25, 2022
- InsightDecember 7, 2021
- “Chicken Cos. Say Class Treatment Improper In Price-Fix Fight,” Law360, May 10, 2022
- “Judge says ‘metering’ of asylum applicants at border is illegal,” Reuters, September 3, 2021
- “‘Turnback’ Asylum Policy Defies 5th Amendment, Judge Says,” Law360, September 2, 2021
- “Judge Doubts DHS Asylum Stats Disprove ‘Turnback’ Policy,” Law360, August 31, 2021
- “Judge weighs international implications to Trump-era metering of asylum seekers,” Courthouse News Service, August 31, 2021
- “DHS Sanctioned Over Border Officers’ Note-Shredding,” Law360, March 30, 2021
- “A Border Officer Said They Were Told To Lie About Not Having Enough Space To Process Asylum-Seekers,” BuzzFeed News, February 14, 2020
- “TC Heartland Opens The Door To New Antitrust Claims In Del.,” Law360, June 2, 2017
- “Auto Dealer Robinson-Patman Act Cases After Stevens Creek,” Law360, December 14, 2016
- “8 Thoughts On Cartel Investigations Post-Yates Memo,” Law360, March 15, 2016
- “7th Circ. LCD Antitrust Case: Foreign Vs. US Interests,” Law360, October 30, 2014