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John Stewart Playforth

Partner

Washington +1 202 662 5635

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    John Playforth is a litigator in the firm’s Washington office. John specializes in defending financial institutions, corporations, and sports leagues in high-stakes antitrust litigations and has extensive experience representing defendants in antitrust class actions and complex, multi-district litigations.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Representing a leading investment bank in antitrust class actions involving interest rate swaps, stock lending, corporate bonds, and base metals warehousing.
    • Obtained denial of class certification in multi-billion dollar antitrust litigation relating to aluminum warehousing. In re Aluminum Warehousing Antitrust Litig., 336 F.R.D. 5 (S.D.N.Y. 2020).
    • Obtained summary judgment against antitrust claims asserted by multiple individual plaintiffs relating to aluminum warehousing. In re Aluminum Warehousing Antitrust Litig., 2021 WL 638059 (S.D.N.Y. 2021).
    • Obtained dismissal of antitrust class action claims against a leading investment bank in a case involving zinc futures trading and zinc warehousing. In re Zinc Antitrust Litig., 155 F. Supp. 3d 337 (S.D.N.Y. 2016).
    • Representing the NFL in multi-district class action antitrust challenges to its broadcast distribution arrangements for out-of-market games (In re NFL Sunday Ticket Antitrust Litigation).

    • Obtained summary judgement against a $3.5 billion antitrust claim and defended the ruling on appeal. Motorola Mobility v. AU Optronics 773 F.3d 826 (7th Cir. 2014).
    • Representing the NFL in antitrust challenges to the league’s trademark licensing arrangements (American Needle, Inc. v. New Orleans La. Saints & Villa v. San Francisco Forty Niners, Ltd.).
    • Representing a leading electronics manufacturer in In re TFT-LCD Antitrust Litigation, a consolidated set of antitrust class actions and related cases involving liquid crystal displays.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • Harvard Law School, J.D., 2009
        • magna cum laude
        • Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Executive Editor
    • Harvard University, B.A., 2006
        • magna cum laude
        • Phi Beta Kappa
    Bar Admissions
    • District of Columbia
    • Massachusetts
    Judicial Clerkship
    • Hon. John M. Rogers, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 2009 - 2010
    Accolades
    • Washington DC Super Lawyers, Antitrust Litigation "Rising Star" (2014, 2018-2019)

    Areas of Expertise

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