John M. Majoras

John M. Majoras, husband of Federal Trade Commission Chairman and Commissioner Deborah Platt Majoras, is a partner at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. 

Profiles
According to his Jones-Day profile, "John Majoras has a wide variety of experience in general commercial litigation with a particular focus on antitrust matters. He has been involved in some of the most significant cartel cases brought in U.S. civil courts and is well versed in multidistrict class action litigation. John's antitrust practice includes appearances before multiple state and federal courts, representation in governmental investigations, and coordinating clients' responses in worldwide litigation of competition issues. He also has handled business disputes in the areas of product liability, hostile corporate takeovers, copyright, tax, contract, and entertainment law.

"John has been lead counsel for Sanofi-Aventis, S.A., one of the principal defendants in worldwide investigations and litigation concerning the synthetic vitamins industry. This wide-ranging representation has included responding to investigations by the United States Department of Justice, as well as enforcement agencies in Europe, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and other jurisdictions. John has led the defense of more than 200 state and federal cases that addressed complex jurisdictional, discovery, and procedural issues. He also represented Sanofi-Aventis before the United States Supreme Court in the Empagran case, in which the Court determined that the Federal Trade and Antitrust Improvements Act did not extend the application of Sherman Act and its treble damages provisions to transactions outside of U.S. commerce.

"Sanofi-Aventis also looked to John to lead its defense of similar multijurisdictional, price-fixing litigation concerning methionine, an animal feed supplement. This representation, although slightly smaller in scope than vitamins, has involved many of the same complexities and international aspects."

"Similarly, Cabot Corporation asked John to oversee its defense against price-fixing allegations in the carbon black industry. This representation likewise includes multiple federal and state filings by direct and indirect purchaser claimants.

"John also has been representing UPM-Kymmene, a Finnish company, in governmental investigations into different aspects of the paper industry. This representation has included coordination of international responses to the investigations and overseeing the civil litigation that has resulted. That litigation encompasses filings in federal and state courts throughout the country, as well as two coordinated proceedings ordered by the Federal Panel on Multi-District Litigation.

"John also leads the representation of National City Corporation in the burgeoning litigation relating to interchange rates charged on the use of Visa and MasterCard credit cards. His prior antitrust experience also includes involvement in the Brand Name Prescription Drug Antitrust litigation and The Loewen Group's successful defense against a hostile takeover that would have presented competition concerns. He has also represented clients against tying, monopolization, and group boycott claims. He recently concluded a successful defense of Diebold, Incorporated brought by an organization of independent service providers, which alleged that the company was monopolizing service and parts markets in its installed base of ATMs. John and his team obtained a very favorable ruling following a preliminary injunction hearing, and the plaintiff dismissed the case.

"In addition to John's antitrust practice, he represents clients in a variety of other litigation matters. Throughout the summer of 2000, he successfully defended the Lincoln Electric Company in a product liability case involving damage to steel-frame buildings stemming from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The plaintiffs sought more than $800 million in alleged damages for buildings throughout California, but the Los Angeles County jury brought back a defense verdict from which the plaintiffs did not seek an appeal. John also successfully defended an industrial pump manufacturer in a $20 million jury trial in federal court in Cheyenne, Wyoming relating to a refinery explosion.

"A number of clients have turned to John as national coordinating counsel for litigation brought throughout the United States. John has served as national coordinating counsel for Diebold on product liability claims relating to ATMs, particularly where ATM users were victims of violent crimes. He has also represented a national small package delivery company in defending against nationwide challenges to the company's independent contractor network. John continues to act as STERIS Corporation's national coordinator of its product liability litigation in the medical sterilization and device field.

"John also maintains an entertainment practice that includes copyright, privacy, concert touring contracts, and other issues for a number of nationally renowned artists; and he is active in pro bono matters relating to unfair housing practices.

"John is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court as well as the Federal, Fourth, Sixth, Tenth, and D.C. Circuits and has tried and arbitrated cases in a number of state and federal courts. He is coauthor, with Jones Day Partner, Paul G. Crist, of "The 'New' Wave in Smoking and Health Litigation — Is Anything Really So New? 54 Tenn. L. Rev. 551 (1987).

"John is the Partner-in-Charge of business development in the Washington, D.C. Office and is a member of the Firmwide Business Development Committee. He has long been active in Firm recruiting and Associate training. He has spoken at a number of national and international antitrust conferences and is a frequent instructor at Firmwide CLE programs. John is also an instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

"Admitted: District of Columbia "Education: Case Western Reserve University (B.A. 1983; Editor-in-Chief, Law Review; Order of the Coif; J.D. magna cum laude 1986)"