Brian A. Ratner

Global Co-Chair
Washington, DC

he / him / his

OVERVIEW

Brian is a founding partner of Hausfeld and serves as Global Co-Chair of the firm. He has extensive experience representing U.S. and international businesses in complex litigation at the trial and appellate levels. He is particularly experienced in litigating and resolving antitrust claims in U.S. and European courts, recovering billions of dollars for his corporate clients and the classes he has represented.

Brian’s broad global experience demonstrates his ability to tackle and find solutions for the most novel legal issues, as well as represent his clients at all stages of global antitrust litigation and other complex business disputes, whether in the discovery, damages, trial, appeal or settlement phase, or whether in the U.S., Europe, or globally. This unique combination enables him to counsel and act for clients comprehensively, in a commercially sensitive manner, and wherever necessary.

Clients

Brian represents clients from a wide range of sectors including automotive, retail, transportation, petroleum, utility, pharma, financial services, and technology.

Brian currently represents or has represented purchasers of auto parts, rail freight, maritime car carrier services, air freight services, carbon graphite, polyurethane foam, paraffin wax, marine hose, Visa/MasterCard services, trucks, power cables, elevators, and pre-stressing steel in their individual cartel damage claims in the US, Europe and/or globally. In the marine hose matter, on behalf of a group of oil and gas companies, he led the negotiations with cartelist Parker ITR which produced a first of its kind private global settlement agreement.

Many of Brian's diverse clients are listed in the US and Global Fortune 100 and Fortune 500.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

American Antitrust Institute

Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Private Law Practice in 2019: an honor he received as part of the In re Vitamin C Litigation case team.

Chambers

Band 2, Washington, D.C. Litigation: Mainly Plaintiff in 2024

Global Competition Review

Litigation of the Year - Cartel Prosecution in 2019: an honor he received as part of the In re Vitamin C Litigation case team.

Lawdragon

500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers since 2019
500 Leading Global Litigators since 2021
500 Leading Lawyers in America since 2018
500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers in 2024
500 Legends in 2024

Legal 500

Hall of Fame since 2022, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Plaintiff
Recommended Lawyer since 2013, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions
Hall of Fame in 2020 – described by the Legal 500 as "including individuals who have received constant praise from their clients for continued excellence. The Hall of Fame highlights, to clients, the law firm partners who are at the pinnacle of the profession."

"Brian Ratner stands out as an absolute expert in the field." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust Civil Litigation/Class Action: Plaintiff, 2024)

"Founding partner Brian Ratner stands out in an already amazing team. He combines vast knowledge with a very good business acumen and sense for what really matters in a given situation. He is a sharp out-of-the box thinker and extremely pragmatic where appropriate. Working with him is a privilege." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust Civil Litigation/Class Action: Plaintiff, 2023)

Described as "commercially minded." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions, 2021)

"Brian Ratner and Melinda Coolidge are both first class. They are personable, knowledgeable and deliver results." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions, 2020)

"[T]he 'incredibly impressive' . . . Brian Ratner [is a] highly skilled negotiator and litigator, and real fighter with an outstanding strategic sense . . . brilliant lawyer Brian Ratner is a very smart and business-oriented negotiator . . . [He] thinks strategically, is an excellent negotiator and has a solid foundation of substantive law." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions, 2013-Present)

"Engaging, highly competent professional who can simplify complex antitrust matters and make them comprehensible to a non-antitrust attorney." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions, 2011)

Super Lawyers

Super Lawyer, Antitrust Litigation in Washington, DC since 2014

Who’s Who Legal

Thought Leader, USA: Competition since 2023
Thought Leader, Competition: Plaintiff in 2021 & 2023
Global Leader, Competition: Plaintiff in 2020 & 2023
Recommended Lawyer, Competition: Plaintiff since 2018

"Brian is a quick and lateral thinker who is also extremely commercially oriented." (Who's Who Legal, Competition - Plaintiff, 2023)

"Brian Ratner is a top name in the competition field who is well versed in complex litigation in both US and European courts." (Who’s Who Legal, Competition - Plaintiff - Legal Marketplace Analysis, 2022)

"Held to be a go-to practitioner on account of his prolific experience litigating domestic and European antitrust claims." (Who’s Who Legal, Competition - Plaintiff - Legal Marketplace Analysis, 2021)

"Brian Ratner earns impressive recommendations for his competition plaintiff expertise. He is considered ‘smart and likeable,’ and 'one of the next-generation leaders.'" (Who’s Who Legal, Competition - Plaintiff - Legal Marketplace Analysis, 2020)

Brian Ratner has "a brilliant legal mind while being extremely pragmatic and commercially minded," commented interviewees. (Who’s Who Legal, Competition - Plaintiff - Legal Marketplace Analysis, 2019)

"He is praised as a lawyer who 'goes the extra mile,' and whose 'high-quality work product is feared by competitors.'" (Who’s Who Legal, Competition - Plaintiff - Legal Marketplace Analysis, 2018)

Other

Local Litigation Star from 2013-2015 and Antitrust Litigation Star in 2013 by Benchmark Litigation.
Rising Stars in 2012 by Law360
40 under 40 by in 2009 The Legal Times

Disclaimer: The DC Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters; the Legal 500 is published by Legalease Ltd. The Benchmark Plaintiff Guide is published by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC and Institutional Investor, Inc. The Law360 Rising Stars list is issued by Portfolio Media, Inc. The Legal Times “40 under 40” list is issued by American Lawyer Media. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

- In re Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation – Brian represents large corporations that directly purchased rail freight shipping services from BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific in their claims for damages stemming from the alleged rail freight cartel in the early 2000s.
- In re Vitamins Antitrust Litigation – Brian served as co-lead counsel in the landmark case on behalf of vitamin direct purchasers who were overcharged as a result of a ten-year global price-fixing and market allocation conspiracy. The case settled for over $1 billion, and in 2003 the case went to a jury trial resulting in a verdict of $148 million in trebled damages. The jury trial was the twelfth largest U.S. jury verdict that year.
- Empagran, S.A. et al. v. F. Hoffmann-LaRoche, Ltd., et al. – Brian was one of the principal lawyers that led this case on behalf of foreign vitamin purchasers. The case was litigated all the way to the Supreme Court, resulting in a groundbreaking judgment on the scope of the U.S. Sherman Act jurisdiction. The case was designated as the “Matter of the Year” by The Global Competition Review.
- In re Vitamin C Antitrust Litigation – Brian serves as co-lead counsel in this landmark case alleging a conspiracy to fix the price and limit the supply of Vitamin C sold for export to the United States. The case resulted in entry of a 2013 judgement for $153.3 million post jury verdict in the director purchasers’ favor – the thirteenth largest U.S. verdict in 2013. To date, settlements total $32.5 million. The jury verdict was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled unanimously in 2018 in favor of the class and set the standard of deference to be afforded a foreign government’s submissions in U.S. courts. In 2018, the case was awarded The Global Competition Review’s “Litigation of the Year – Cartel Prosecution” award in 2018, as well as the American Antitrust Institute’s “Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Private Law Practice” honor.
- Oncology & Radiation Associates v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. – Brian served as one of the lead lawyers in a case of unlawful monopolization against a drug manufacturer, which settled for $65 million.
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories v. Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., et al. – Brian served as co-lead counsel in a case alleging unlawful monopolization on behalf of purchasers of an enzyme used in DNA amplification, human-genome research, and medical diagnostics, which settled for $33 million.
- In re American Express Anti-Steering Rules Antitrust Litigation – Brian serves as one of the lead lawyers representing the class.
- Pre-stressing Steel Cartel – Brian represents Deutsche Bahn, the German railway, alongside the Hausfeld case team in its claim in the Netherlands against several prestressing steel producers for damages suffered as a result of an infringement of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, caused by one of the largest and longest running cartels in Europe. In January 2024, Deutsche Bahn won its appeal in the case, with the court of appeal awarding the requested declaratory judgment on liability and referring the claims to the procedure for the calculation of damages, while rejecting the steel producers’ arguments that the claims were time-barred under German law.
- Brian has been representing car manufacturers and other OEMS including BMW, Stellantis, PSA, FCA, Renault and GKN regarding their global auto parts cartel damage claims and helping them achieve outstanding recoveries.
- Brian acted on the defense side on behalf of Geodis in a U.S. class action against freight forwarders alleging a conspiracy to fix surcharges on air cargo shipments.
- Brian advises businesses on the antitrust implications of their business practices and supply relationships and works with them to craft approaches to both eliminate or reduce potential risk as well as protect and enhance their ability to pursue antitrust claims.
Brian has broad experience in complex litigation in fields including securities and investor litigation, commercial contract disputes, intellectual property, and whistleblower representations. His pioneering work in developing and offering flexible fee and case funding options allows clients to reach sensible and practical arrangements that prioritize businesses’ needs and help manage legal costs and risk.
- TOT Power Control, S.L. v. Apple Inc. – Brian represents TOT Power Control, S.L., a Spanish intellectual property and technology licensing company, in its patent infringement litigation against Apple, Samsung, and LG.
- MTB Investment Partners, LP v. Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc. – Brian served as one of the lead counsel in this securities fraud matter that led to a settlement that returned more than 115% of recognized losses after attorneys’ fees and expenses to former shareholders in HearUSA, Inc.
We have extensive experience representing public and governmental entities, including state Attorneys General Offices, municipal utility boards, and counties in high-stakes investigations and litigation involving a variety of legal practice areas, including antitrust, consumer protection, financial services, and environmental law. The firm’s public entity portfolio includes:
- Retention by state Attorneys General Offices for antitrust litigation against Big Tech platforms.
- Retention by the largest public water supplier in the country relating to environmental contamination.
- Retention by public entities to pursue antitrust claims relating to fraud in financial markets; and
- Retention by the state of West Virginia in one of the earliest cases against the pharmaceutical industry relating to the opioid crisis, filed decades before the current wave of opioid litigation.

Brian Ratner stands out as an absolute expert in the field.

Legal 500 US, 2024

Brian is excellent. He has been a key pillar of strategic advice and is a pleasure to work with.

Chambers US, 2024

Brian is a very, very competent and prompt lawyer. He's great.

Chambers US, 2024

Founding partner Brian Ratner stands out in an already amazing team. He combines vast knowledge with a very good business acumen and sense for what really matters in a given situation. He is a sharp out-of-the box thinker and extremely pragmatic where appropriate. Working with him is a privilege.

Legal 500 US, 2023

Held to be a go-to practitioner on account of his prolific experience litigating domestic and European antitrust claims.

Who's Who Legal - Competition, 2021

Earns impressive recommendations for his competition plaintiff expertise. He is considered 'smart and likeable,' and 'one of the next-generation leaders.'

Who's Who Legal - Competition, 2020

Brian Ratner and Melinda Coolidge are both first class. They are personable, knowledgeable and deliver results.

Legal 500 US, 2020

[T]he ‘incredibly impressive . . . Brian Ratner [is a] highly skilled negotiator and litigator, and real fighter with an outstanding strategic sense . . . brilliant lawyer Brian Ratner is a very smart and business-oriented negotiator . . . [He] thinks strategically, is an excellent negotiator and has a solid foundation of substantive law.”

Legal 500, 2014-Present

Perspectives / Podcasts

New York State Bar Association Antitrust Law Section’s ‘Antitrust Cartel and Criminal Practice Committee Podcast’ - Undercurrents Unveiled: The Marine Hose Cartel Antitrust Odyssey, featuring Brian A. Ratner

Brian A. Ratner

OVERVIEW

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WHAT OTHERS SAY

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EXPERIENCE

WHAT OTHERS SAY

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