DOJ's Top Antitrust Litigators Depart After Ticketmaster Settlement

The Justice Department's top antitrust litigator and three senior trial attorneys who led major cases against Live Nation Entertainment, Apple, and Google are leaving the agency. The departures follow the DOJ's settlement with Ticketmaster owner Live Nation. The exits include the acting chief of the Antitrust Division's litigation section and attorneys who oversaw high-profile lawsuits against some of the largest technology and entertainment companies. The attorneys had been central to the Biden administration's aggressive antitrust enforcement agenda. The departures come after the DOJ reached a settlement with Live Nation following a lawsuit that sought to break up the concert promotion and ticketing giant. The company had faced allegations of monopolistic practices in the live entertainment market. The attorneys also worked on ongoing antitrust cases against Apple and Alphabet's Google. The Google case, which focused on the company's search monopoly, resulted in a ruling that Google had violated antitrust law. Remedies in that case are still being determined. The personnel changes raise questions about continuity in the DOJ's antitrust enforcement as the agency continues litigation against major technology platforms. The Antitrust Division has pursued an ambitious agenda under the Biden administration, filing cases against companies across multiple sectors.