Nicole M.
Peles

Ms. Peles has represented clients on antitrust issues in connection with numerous proposed or completed deals. These representations include:

• The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Paramount in the $28 billion merger with Skydance;
• Biogen in its $7.3 billion acquisition of Reata Pharmaceuticals;
• RWE AG in its $6.8 billion acquisition of Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses;
• Cowen Inc. in its $1.9 billion acquisition by TD Bank Group;
• Swvl Inc. in its $1.5 billion combination with Queen’s Gambit Growth Capital, the first special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) founded and led entirely by women;
• Viatris in its $3.335 billion combination of its biosimilars portfolio with Biocon Biologics and the divestitures of its Over‑the‑Counter, Women’s Healthcare and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients businesses;
• Afterpay Limited in its $29 billion acquisition by Square;
• GW Pharmaceuticals plc in its $7.2 billion acquisition by Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc;
• AerCap Holdings N.V. in its $30 billion acquisition of GE Capital Aviation Services;
• Mylan N.V. in its $50 billion combination with Upjohn, a division of Pfizer Inc., to form Viatris;
• US Foods Holding Corp. in its $1.8 billion acquisition of five operating companies of Services Group of America; and
• Grupo Villar Mir in its $3.1 billion merger with Globe Specialty Metals, Inc.

On the litigation front, Ms. Peles’s representative matters include:

• Representation of Live Nation in antitrust litigation filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 39 states and the District of Columbia seeking to break up Live Nation/Ticketmaster.
• Representation of Meta in putative class action and individual antitrust litigation filed throughout the country related to the multibillion‑dollar digital advertising industry, alleging anticompetitive conduct purportedly harming purchasers of digital advertising as well as media companies who sell digital advertising on their websites.
• Representation of Qualcomm in a suit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in California federal court alleging violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act and seeking a permanent injunction against Qualcomm. In a complete defense victory for Qualcomm, the Ninth Circuit unanimously reversed the district court’s prior judgment and vacated a permanent, worldwide injunction that had prohibited several of Qualcomm’s core business practices.
• Representation of Merck and current and former officers and directors in a class action and in individual actions that were part of a multidistrict litigation in New Jersey federal court relating to Merck’s development and sale of Vioxx®, all of which settled, and in related shareholder derivative actions and an ERISA class action.

Ms. Peles was born in Berkeley, California. She received an A.B. from Dartmouth College in 2007 and a J.D. cum laude from New York University in 2010, where she was an executive editor of the Law Review. After graduation, Ms. Peles served as a law clerk to Hon. Nancy F. Atlas of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Ms. Peles is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia, Eastern District of New York and Southern District of New York. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section.

Ms. Peles joined Cravath as a summer associate in 2009 and rejoined Cravath’s legal staff in 2011. Ms. Peles was named of counsel in 2023.