Katherine Monks Bleicher

Kate Monks Bleicher helps clients facing antitrust disputes through all stages of the litigation process. Kate’s work focuses on defending companies facing billions of dollars of damages from class action claims alleging violations of the Sherman Act. Though her work, Kate has worked on antitrust cases in a variety of industries, including insurance, agriculture, food and beverage, steel manufacturing, and publishing.

• In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Ill). Won summary judgment in favor of Foster Farms in antitrust class action alleging various conspiracies among poultry producers related to information exchanges, output restrictions, index manipulation, and price-fixing.
• Poultry Wage-Fixing Antitrust Litigation (D. Md). Representing Foster Farms in putative antitrust class action alleging conspiracy among poultry producers related to information exchanges and wage-fixing.
• In re Delta Dental Antitrust Litig. (N.D.Ill). Representing numerous Delta Dental companies in a multidistrict antitrust litigation alleging price-fixing and unlawful territorial division.
• Nespresso USA v. Ethical Coffee Company SA (D. Del.). Represented Nespresso USA against monopolization claim in a case alleging Nespresso redesigned its machines to exclude competing espresso capsules.
• JSW Steel (USA) Inc. v. Nucor Corp., et al. (S.D. Tex.). Represented United States Steel Corporation against claims that steel companies conspired to boycott sales to a competitor.
• I and U, Inc., et al. v. Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. (C.D. Cal.). Won motion to dismiss claims alleging Wolters Kluwer engaged in exclusive sales agreements and made false statements to monopolize the market for certain periodicals.

Pro Bono Matters

• Shapiro v. McManus: In the Supreme Court, represented Maryland citizens alleging the state of Maryland gerrymandered its congressional districts in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

• Named as litigator of the week runner-up by Law.com:
  "Runners-up honors also go to a Mayer Brown team led by Carmine Zarlenga that won summary judgment for client Foster Farms dismissing the company from the antitrust case alleging a conspiracy among poultry companies to reduce the supply of broiler chickens to boost prices. US District Judge Thomas Durkin in Chicago found the plaintiffs failed to cite any evidence that Foster joined the alleged conspiracy at any time. The company was among six the judge granted summary judgment to late last month in In Re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation. The Mayer Brown team also included William Stallings, Oral Pottinger, Stephen Medlock (who left the firm for Vinson & Elkins last year), Katherine Bleicher, Ankur Mandhania and Tara More."

• Brown University, BA, magna cum laude
  Phi Beta Kappa
• Harvard Law School, JD

• Maryland
• District of Columbia

• Kate is a member of the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law and currently serves as a Young Lawyer Representative for its committee on antitrust exemptions and immunities.