Lauded West Coast Antitrust Litigator Joins Hausfeld

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bonny Sweeney, a veteran antitrust litigator and former Chair of the Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the State Bar of California, has joined Hausfeld's San Francisco office as a partner. Bringing her decades of experience to bear, Sweeney will continue to prosecute civil antitrust violations on behalf of businesses, state entities, and individuals in California, all over the United States, and around the world. Chairman Michael Hausfeld welcomed Sweeney, noting that, "Bonny is an antitrust luminary and is overwhelmingly respected by judges, her peers in the bar, and her clients. Her reputation and successes precede her."

Sweeney has served as lead or co-lead counsel in numerous antitrust cases throughout the United States over the last 20 years. As co-lead counsel in In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litig. (E.D.N.Y.), Sweeney was instrumental in securing a combined settlement of $5.7 billion, likely the largest private antitrust class action settlement in history. Following the settlement, Judge John Gleeson of the Eastern District of New York applauded the "skill and tenacity" of Sweeney and her co-lead counsel in achieving an extraordinary result for their clients. Likewise, in In re Aftermarket Auto Lights Antitrust Litig. (C.D. Cal.), Sweeney served as co-lead counsel with Hausfeld, helped negotiate settlements totaling more than $50 million, and obtained a landmark decision denying a recalcitrant defendant's request for leniency under the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act (ACPERA).

In May 2014, Sweeney was named to the Daily Journal's Annual List of 100 Leading Women Lawyers in California. Law360 has acknowledged Sweeney's antitrust prowess by recognizing her among the "Outstanding Women in Antitrust." A longtime Super Lawyer, Sweeney was also honored as Global Competition Review's "Litigator of the Week" in October 2014.

Sweeney is a frequent lecturer, panelist, and commentator on complex litigation and competition policy. She is an Advisory Board Member of the American Antitrust Institute (2004-present) and the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies (2009-present). She has also published numerous articles, contributed to various books and treatises, and testified before the California Judiciary Committee and the California Senate concerning her areas of expertise.

Her volunteer work in the local San Diego community has earned her recognition as well. In 2003, Ms. Sweeney was honored with the Wiley M. Manuel Pro Bono Services Award and the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program Distinguished Service Award for her work on behalf of welfare applicants in Sanchez v. County of San Diego.

A summa cum laude graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Sweeney also holds a Master of Arts from Cornell University, a Chinese Language Certificate from the Beijing Language Institute, and a Bachelor of Arts from Whittier College.

Sweeney is Hausfeld's fourth lateral acquisition in recent months, joining former federal district court judge Walter D. Kelley (Partner, Washington, DC); former European General Counsel of Michelin Laurent Geelhand (Managing Partner, Brussels); and Frederick T. Kuykendall (Of Counsel, Washington, DC).