Four Decades for Justice
Michael J. Zaken has a broad litigation practice, with a particular focus on antitrust, bankruptcy, class action defense, commercial disputes and intellectual property, as well as antitrust advisory and other advisory work. Mr. Zaken has represented a wide range of clients, including Alarm.com, British American Tobacco, Epic Games, Illumina, Louis Dreyfus, PG&E, Qualcomm and Westpac Banking Corporation.
Mr. Zaken’s representative matters include:
Represented PG&E in hundreds of lawsuits, including numerous putative class actions, filed against the company arising out of the unprecedented 2017 and 2018 California wildfires—one of the largest and most complex sets of mass tort litigation in recent years—and helped to steer the company through the largest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Represented Alarm.com in a patent infringement action relating to interactive security and home automation technology, including petitions for inter partes review of the asserted patents.
Represented Westpac Banking Corporation in a putative class action asserting, inter alia, antitrust, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Commodity Exchange Act claims premised upon alleged manipulation of the Australian Bank Bill Swap Reference Rate (“BBSW”). Mr. Zaken also represented Westpac in a separate putative class action securities litigation concerning the reporting of over 19.5 million international funds transfer instructions to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (“AUSTRAC”), contrary to Australian law.
Represented a German parent company and its U.S. subsidiary in connection with litigation and an investigation involving entities and subsidiaries in Germany, the U.S. and Brazil.
Mr. Zaken is from New York City. He received a B.A. cum laude from Columbia College in 2011 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2014, where he was a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a member of the Moot Court and served as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Law and the Arts.
Mr. Zaken joined Cravath in 2014 and was elected a partner in 2022.
Mr. Zaken’s representative matters include:
Represented PG&E in hundreds of lawsuits, including numerous putative class actions, filed against the company arising out of the unprecedented 2017 and 2018 California wildfires—one of the largest and most complex sets of mass tort litigation in recent years—and helped to steer the company through the largest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Represented Alarm.com in a patent infringement action relating to interactive security and home automation technology, including petitions for inter partes review of the asserted patents.
Represented Westpac Banking Corporation in a putative class action asserting, inter alia, antitrust, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Commodity Exchange Act claims premised upon alleged manipulation of the Australian Bank Bill Swap Reference Rate (“BBSW”). Mr. Zaken also represented Westpac in a separate putative class action securities litigation concerning the reporting of over 19.5 million international funds transfer instructions to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (“AUSTRAC”), contrary to Australian law.
Represented a German parent company and its U.S. subsidiary in connection with litigation and an investigation involving entities and subsidiaries in Germany, the U.S. and Brazil.
Mr. Zaken is from New York City. He received a B.A. cum laude from Columbia College in 2011 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2014, where he was a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a member of the Moot Court and served as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Law and the Arts.
Mr. Zaken joined Cravath in 2014 and was elected a partner in 2022.
Benchmark Litigation
Lawdragon
Deals & Cases
July 14, 2023
On July 13, 2023, a three judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled in favor of Cravath clients Louis Dreyfus Company LLC (“LDC”) and Imperial Sugar Company (“Imperial Sugar”) and unanimously affirmed an earlier decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware denying U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) request for an injunction to block LDC’s sale of the assets and business of Imperial Sugar to U.S. Sugar.
Deals & Cases
September 23, 2022
On September 23, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s request for an injunction blocking Louis Dreyfus Company LLC’s (“LDC”) sale of the assets and business of its subsidiary Imperial Sugar Company (“Imperial Sugar”) to U.S. Sugar. The District of Delaware’s decision in favor of the Defendants followed a four day trial in April 2022 and post-trial briefing submitted in May 2022.
Deals & Cases
September 02, 2022
On September 1, 2022, Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) ruled in favor of Cravath client Illumina, rejecting the FTC’s challenge to Illumina’s $8 billion acquisition of GRAIL, which closed in August 2021.
Accolades
August 02, 2023
Cravath partners Michael P. Addis, Helam Gebremariam, Sharonmoyee Goswami, Lauren R. Kennedy, David H. Korn, Lauren M. Rosenberg, Brittany L. Sukiennik and Michael J. Zaken were named by Benchmark Litigation to its 2023 “40 & Under List.” The list honors the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished litigators of 40 years old and under who are “leading high‑profile cases and building significant reputations in their respective practices.” The list was compiled through a process involving peer and client review, along with examination of individual cases.
Activities & Publications
July 28, 2023
On July 20, 2023, Cravath prepared a memo for its clients entitled “New Merger Guidelines and Recent Merger-Related FTC and DOJ Announcements.” The memo examines the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s recently proposed Merger Guidelines as well as recently proposed changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) filing process from the FTC and guidance concerning bank mergers from the DOJ. The memo outlines the thirteen Guidelines and their discussion of market definition, rebuttal evidence and approach to remedies. It also addresses what additional information the HSR filing proposals will require and summarizes Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter’s recent speech concerning bank merger enforcement.
Firm News
November 16, 2022
Cravath has elected eight new partners. They are:
Firm News
January 18, 2022
On December 21, 2021, Cravath elected Jesse M. Weiss and Michael J. Zaken as of counsel of the Firm.
Michael J. Zaken has a broad litigation practice, with a particular focus on antitrust, bankruptcy, class action defense, commercial disputes and intellectual property, as well as antitrust advisory and other advisory work. Mr. Zaken has represented a wide range of clients, including Alarm.com, British American Tobacco, Epic Games, Illumina, Louis Dreyfus, PG&E, Qualcomm and Westpac Banking Corporation.
Mr. Zaken’s representative matters include:
Represented PG&E in hundreds of lawsuits, including numerous putative class actions, filed against the company arising out of the unprecedented 2017 and 2018 California wildfires—one of the largest and most complex sets of mass tort litigation in recent years—and helped to steer the company through the largest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Represented Alarm.com in a patent infringement action relating to interactive security and home automation technology, including petitions for inter partes review of the asserted patents.
Represented Westpac Banking Corporation in a putative class action asserting, inter alia, antitrust, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Commodity Exchange Act claims premised upon alleged manipulation of the Australian Bank Bill Swap Reference Rate (“BBSW”). Mr. Zaken also represented Westpac in a separate putative class action securities litigation concerning the reporting of over 19.5 million international funds transfer instructions to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (“AUSTRAC”), contrary to Australian law.
Represented a German parent company and its U.S. subsidiary in connection with litigation and an investigation involving entities and subsidiaries in Germany, the U.S. and Brazil.
Mr. Zaken is from New York City. He received a B.A. cum laude from Columbia College in 2011 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2014, where he was a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a member of the Moot Court and served as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Law and the Arts.
Mr. Zaken joined Cravath in 2014 and was elected a partner in 2022.
Mr. Zaken’s representative matters include:
Represented PG&E in hundreds of lawsuits, including numerous putative class actions, filed against the company arising out of the unprecedented 2017 and 2018 California wildfires—one of the largest and most complex sets of mass tort litigation in recent years—and helped to steer the company through the largest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Represented Alarm.com in a patent infringement action relating to interactive security and home automation technology, including petitions for inter partes review of the asserted patents.
Represented Westpac Banking Corporation in a putative class action asserting, inter alia, antitrust, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Commodity Exchange Act claims premised upon alleged manipulation of the Australian Bank Bill Swap Reference Rate (“BBSW”). Mr. Zaken also represented Westpac in a separate putative class action securities litigation concerning the reporting of over 19.5 million international funds transfer instructions to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (“AUSTRAC”), contrary to Australian law.
Represented a German parent company and its U.S. subsidiary in connection with litigation and an investigation involving entities and subsidiaries in Germany, the U.S. and Brazil.
Mr. Zaken is from New York City. He received a B.A. cum laude from Columbia College in 2011 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2014, where he was a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a member of the Moot Court and served as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Law and the Arts.
Mr. Zaken joined Cravath in 2014 and was elected a partner in 2022.
Benchmark Litigation
Lawdragon
Deals & Cases
July 14, 2023
On July 13, 2023, a three judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled in favor of Cravath clients Louis Dreyfus Company LLC (“LDC”) and Imperial Sugar Company (“Imperial Sugar”) and unanimously affirmed an earlier decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware denying U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) request for an injunction to block LDC’s sale of the assets and business of Imperial Sugar to U.S. Sugar.
Deals & Cases
September 23, 2022
On September 23, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s request for an injunction blocking Louis Dreyfus Company LLC’s (“LDC”) sale of the assets and business of its subsidiary Imperial Sugar Company (“Imperial Sugar”) to U.S. Sugar. The District of Delaware’s decision in favor of the Defendants followed a four day trial in April 2022 and post-trial briefing submitted in May 2022.
Deals & Cases
September 02, 2022
On September 1, 2022, Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) ruled in favor of Cravath client Illumina, rejecting the FTC’s challenge to Illumina’s $8 billion acquisition of GRAIL, which closed in August 2021.
Accolades
August 02, 2023
Cravath partners Michael P. Addis, Helam Gebremariam, Sharonmoyee Goswami, Lauren R. Kennedy, David H. Korn, Lauren M. Rosenberg, Brittany L. Sukiennik and Michael J. Zaken were named by Benchmark Litigation to its 2023 “40 & Under List.” The list honors the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished litigators of 40 years old and under who are “leading high‑profile cases and building significant reputations in their respective practices.” The list was compiled through a process involving peer and client review, along with examination of individual cases.
Activities & Publications
July 28, 2023
On July 20, 2023, Cravath prepared a memo for its clients entitled “New Merger Guidelines and Recent Merger-Related FTC and DOJ Announcements.” The memo examines the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s recently proposed Merger Guidelines as well as recently proposed changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) filing process from the FTC and guidance concerning bank mergers from the DOJ. The memo outlines the thirteen Guidelines and their discussion of market definition, rebuttal evidence and approach to remedies. It also addresses what additional information the HSR filing proposals will require and summarizes Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter’s recent speech concerning bank merger enforcement.
Firm News
November 16, 2022
Cravath has elected eight new partners. They are:
Firm News
January 18, 2022
On December 21, 2021, Cravath elected Jesse M. Weiss and Michael J. Zaken as of counsel of the Firm.
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