Brian A. Ratner
Brian Ratner, a Partner at Cohen Milstein, joined the firm in 2001 and is Deputy Head of the International Practice Group and a member of the Antitrust Practice Group.
Mr. Ratner has extensive experience representing domestic and foreign businesses and individuals in complex litigation at the trial and appellate levels, particularly in the prosecution of antitrust class actions in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Mr. Ratner has litigated and is currently involved in numerous major antitrust class actions on behalf of direct and indirect purchasers alleging price-fixing and monopolization.
Specifically, Mr. Ratner has litigated the matter of In Re Vitamins Antitrust Litigation (D.D.C.) on behalf of two certified classes of vitamin direct purchasers who were overcharged as a result of a ten-year global price-fixing and market allocation conspiracy, which settled for over $1 billion. Mr. Ratner was a key member of a 2003 trial team in the case, in which a jury awarded a class of choline chloride purchasers more than $148 million in trebled damages. The National Law Journal ranked this verdict as the 12th largest in 2003. Mr. Ratner has also litigated, among other matters: Empagran, S.A. et al. v. F. Hoffmann-LaRoche, Ltd., et al. (D.D.C.), a case alleging a global vitamins price-fixing and market allocation conspiracy on behalf of foreign purchasers (remanded by U.S. Supreme Court); Oncology & Radiation Associates v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (D.D.C.), alleging monopolization against a drug manufacturer, which settled for $65 million; Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories v. Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., et al. (D.D.C.), alleging unlawful monopolization on behalf of a class of purchasers of an enzyme used in DNA amplification, human-genome research, and medical diagnostics; and In Re Vitamin C Antitrust Litigation (E.D.N.Y.), alleging a conspiracy by Chinese manufacturers to fix prices and control the supply of vitamin C for export.
Mr. Ratner’s substantial international work has included lecturing, organizing conferences, and writing articles and papers on issues such as the private civil enforcement of competition laws around the world and the mechanisms for collective redress in Europe.
Prior to joining Cohen Milstein, Mr. Ratner worked for Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue where he focused on complex civil and commercial litigation, antitrust counseling, and merger clearance work related to the CBS/Viacom and AOL/Time Warner mergers.
Mr. Ratner graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington with a B.A. in Journalism (1996) and a second major in Political Science. In college, he was a member of the Mortar Board National Honor Society, did undergraduate work at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and worked on several political campaigns including the re-election campaign of former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford. Mr. Ratner obtained his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (1999), where he was the Managing Editor of the Journal of Law and Commerce. During law school, Mr. Ratner externed for the Hon. Donetta W. Ambrose (W.D. Pa.).
Mr. Ratner is admitted to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.
Contact: bratner@cmht.com
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