David R. Garcia

David Garcia is of counsel in the firm's Century City office. He is an antitrust litigator and counselor with a broad background in complex litigation and merger investigations for major U.S. companies, which includes extensive class action and multidistrict litigation experience. His practice focuses principally on litigation and counseling with particular emphasis on healthcare related transactions of all sorts, the entertainment industry and the intersection between antitrust and intellectual property.

Areas of Practice

David counsels and litigates extensively in the healthcare space on joint ventures, vertical and horizontal mergers and competitor collaborations and affiliations of all sorts for a broad range of hospitals, doctor groups, health insurance carriers and private equity investors throughout the U.S. including second requests and divestiture negotiations with both the FTC and DoJ. David's antitrust litigation experience includes price fixing cartel defense, patent related monopolization claims and representation of clients in connection with civil and criminal investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice. His broad ranging antitrust litigation background also includes major matters involving standard setting, state action immunity, and contested mergers. He also counsels and litigates in a variety of distribution situations, including dealer termination, vertical pricing restrictions, franchise termination disputes, non-competition agreements and counseling and litigation involving multilevel marketing organizations.

Clients for whom he has worked include: Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health Systems, Arcadian Medicare Advantage Insurance, Blue Shield California, Legacy Healthcare, a broad variety of physician groups and for profit and non profit hospital systems throughout the U.S., The Secure Content Storage Association LLC, The Digital Cinema Initiative, LLC, Kaiser, Lending Tree, Samsung, Epson America, China Mobile, Sprint, Carrier Airconditioning, Herbalife, Amgen, Barnes & Noble, Warner Home Video, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. and Reynolds & Reynolds, Inc.

Experience

Represented Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System in negotiating potential transaction with Providence Healthcare.

Defended Legacy Health in Oregon against an antitrust lawsuit filed by Trillium Health Plan relating to alleged failure to provide acute care facilities necessary for network adequacy – temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction were denied and the action was discontinued. 

Represented Blue Shield of California in its acquisition of Brown and Toland, the largest doctor group in the San Francisco Bay area. 

Represented Blue Mountain Capital Management LLC in consideration of purchase and resale of multiple inpatient and outpatient facilities in Kentucky.

Represented Kaiser Foundation Health Plan with respect to a variety of antitrust issues including potential cooperative ventures and affiliation agreements with medical practices. 

Advice and counseling on a variety of vertical and horizontal antitrust issues for Sansum Clinic, the largest doctor group on the California central coast. 

Represented Humboldt Medical Center in antitrust litigation commenced against Humboldt Doctor Group and primary hospital with which the group was affiliated which was dismissed after the filing of a motion to dismiss.

Represented Molina Healthcare in antitrust litigation by the Department of Justice challenging Aetna’s proposed acquisition of Humana after Molina agreed to acquire more than $400 million of Medicare Advantage assets from both Aetna and Humana to fix any potential anticompetitive impact that would have resulted from the transaction.

Represented Sansum Medical Group in FTC investigation of proposed mergers with Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

DoJ Antitrust Division's investigation concerning Samsung's assertion of standard essential patents against Apple in response to Apple's claimed infringement of its design and utility patents

Represented Arcadian Insurance in the FTC investigation of its acquisition by Humana, Inc., and negotiation of eventual consent decree

Represented Lending Tree in exclusive dealing litigation involving exclusive internet affiliation agreements

Represented Samsung in horizontal boycott litigation involving Rambus, and price fixing class action litigation

Represented Sansum Clinic, a Santa Barbara, California physician group of 185 independent physicians in a multi-specialty group, in an affiliation agreement with Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. After a four year investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and the California Attorney General, the parties decided to withdraw their application of the proposed affiliation agreement

Representing Herbalife in a variety of vertical distributorship issues

Represented Amgen in potential antitrust litigation against a competitor arising out of a prior patent infringement settlement

Providing antitrust and general outside advice and counseling to the Digital Cinema Initiative, a joint venture of the seven major movie studios created to establish performance and digital security specifications for the transmission and exhibition of digital cinema, and to explore business models for encouraging digital cinema implementation

Defended Warner Home Video in a nationwide class action and related federal and state cases brought by independent video rental retailers claiming a group boycott and price fixing in connection with contracts entered into between movie studios, including Warner Home Video, and a national home video rental chain

Assisted in defense of California state court antitrust and certain competition claims against Samsung by competitor

Providing antitrust counseling to Carrier Airconditioning in distributorship restriction in the western United States

Represented the Digital Cinema Committee of Motion Picture Association of America in connection with antitrust issues relating to digital cinema transmission, security and exhibition issues

Part of team defending The Gator Corporation in multidistrict nationwide direct and class action attacks on Gator's targeted internet advertising business model under the Copyright Act, the Lanham Act and state unfair competition law

Represented entertainment companies in multidistrict antitrust litigation involving alleged antitrust violations by internet service providers allegedly tying ISP and cable television services

Represented internet companies, including search engine operators and sellers of internet advertising, in multidistrict antitrust litigation arising out of patent claims, and antitrust advice and counseling relating to distribution of advertising through affiliation agreements

Provided continuing antitrust advice to multiple studios concerning vertical competition issues, such as exclusive dealing and differential pricing in various market segments, including E-commerce, theatrical distribution, and consumer product marketing

Honors

The Los Angeles 500 - The Most Influential People in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2016, 2017

RAVES (Recognizing AHLA Volunteer Engagement and Success) Recipient, American Health Lawyers Association, 2016

Southern California Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2014-2015, 2017-2020

Legal 500, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019-2023

Articles

Antitrust Law Blog Posts 

• "Department of Justice Withdraws Key Healthcare Antitrust Policy Statements," February 6, 2023

• "Sixth Circuit Questions Efficacy of State “Certificate of Need” Laws, Question Whether Reduces Competition," March 7, 2022
• "Privacy Now Looms Large in Antitrust Enforcement," September 21, 2021
• "Vertical Deals in Healthcare: Key Antitrust Takeaways for Private Equity Firms," March 5, 2021
• "DOJ Issues First Business Review Letter Approving Competitor Collaboration In Response To COVID-19," April 17, 2020
• "Eleventh Circuit Denies Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Interlocutory Appeal Challenging Application of Per Se Rule In Multidistrict Litigation In Alabama," December 17, 2018 
• "AmEx Ruling May Have Big Impact on Health Insurance," July 19, 2018 
• "Exclusive Agreement Between Hospital and Insurance Plan Does Not Violate Section 1," June 22, 2017
• "Antitrust Not Always Available in Competitor Disputes in the Healthcare Sector," March 16, 2017
• "U.S. Department of Justice Sues North Carolina Hospital System for Insisting on Anti-Steering Provisions in Insurance Reimbursement Contracts," June 15, 2016
• "State Regulatory Scheme Offering Antitrust Immunity to Healthcare Collaborations Creates Tension Between Federal and State Antitrust Enforcement," May 20, 2015
• "Eleventh Circuit Affirms FTC Finding that Rebate Program Served to Unlawfully Maintain Monopoly Power," April 22, 2015
• "In Highly-Anticipated Decision, Ninth Circuit Affirms That Hospital-Physician Group Merger in St. Luke’s Violated Section 7 And Casts Serious Doubt on Viability of Efficiencies Defense," February 18, 2015
• "CMS’ Proposed Regulations Include Significant Antitrust Implications For Entities Interested In Forming ACOs," January 5, 2015
• "Supplier Beware Before Terminating Dealers: California’s Equipment Dealers Act," November 18, 2014
• "Dang v. San Francisco Forty Niners - Consumers can challenge Reebok's exclusive NFL apparel deal based just on a market of garments bearing NFL team logos," August 7, 2013
• "American Express Co. v. Italian Colors Restaurant: A class action waiver in an arbitration agreement will be strictly enforced under the Federal Arbitration Act," June 25, 2013
• "Challenge To Alleged Restraints On Baseball And Hockey Programming Survive Motion To Dismiss And Advance To The Next Round Of Litigation," December 19, 2012
• "Supreme Court Will Now Hear Two Appeals Concerning Class Arbitration," December 14, 2012
• "Large General Acute-Care Hospital Abandons Acquisition Of 15-Bed Surgical Specialty Center As A Result Of FTC Challenge," November 26, 2012
• "Supreme Court to Address Enforceability of Arbitration Agreements and Class Action Waivers Yet Again," November 19, 2012
• "In re American Express Merchants' Litigation - Plaintiffs Survive Three Rounds In The Second Circuit, But Can They Survive The Supreme Court?" February 7, 2012

Healthcare Law Blog Posts

• "Healthcare Antitrust Update: Key Antitrust Takeaways for Physician Groups," June 14, 2021
• "Third Circuit Rejects State’s Bid for Attorney’s Fees in Hospital Merger Dispute," February 1, 2019 
• "U.S. Department of Justice Settles Anti-Steering Suit Against Hospital System; First Such Settlement After Amex SCOTUS Decision," November 26, 2018 
• "California Sues Sutter Health Alleging Anti-Competitive Practices," April 6, 2018 
• "Has the Acquisition of Cigna Corp. by Anthem, Inc. Been Relegated to the Dustbin of History? Stay Tuned!" May 3, 2017 
• "FTC Stands Down in Latest Head-to-Head Battle Between Federal and State Oversight of Healthcare Collaborations," July 8, 2016
• "FTC Suffers Setback in Campaign to Slow the Rising Tide of Healthcare Consolidations," May 16, 2016
• "State Oversight of Anticompetitive Activity in Healthcare: Is a New Wave Ahead?" April 28, 2015
• "District Court Weighs in on Level of Integration Required to Shield Health Care Collaborations from Section 1 Scrutiny," November 14, 2014
• "California AG Becomes the Latest Antitrust Enforcer to Investigate Hospital/Doctor Group Combinations," September 21, 2012

Eye On Privacy Blog Posts

• "Privacy Playing Increased Role in Antitrust Enforcement," October 5, 2021

Speaking Engagements

• Presenter, "Antitrust Overview–Refresher for Hospital, Physician Group, and Payer Counsel Seeking to Engage in Strategic Ventures and Other Activities," AHLA Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute, February 5, 2018
• Panelist, "Aetna-Humana: From Antitrust Investigation to Permanent Injunction, What Does it Mean for Future Healthcare M&A?" Bloomberg Intelligence, April 27, 2017
• Panelist, "Expert Insights on the Increasing Consolidation of the Medical Sector: Examining the Latest Antitrust Risks for the Healthcare Industry and the Complex Insurance Coverage and Claims Issues Associated with the Integration of Hospitals and Physician Practices," ACI’s Medical Liability Claims, Coverage and Risk Management Conference, October 27, 2016
• Presenter, Antitrust and Provider Networks AHLA Webinar
• Presenter, California Society for Healthcare Attorneys, Antitrust Update
• Lecturer, 2015 Healthcare Forecast Conference, U.C. Irvine
• Lecturer, LACBA Healthcare/Antitrust Program: Trends in Government Enforcement
• Lecturer, ABA Class Action Section, Antitrust Panel
• Lecturer, California State Bar, Antitrust Section

Events

Digital Media