On February 21, 2018, Judge Leon ruled against AT&T Inc.’s (“AT&T”) ability to discover evidence that would support its selective enforcement defense.
Background
On November 21, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division filed a complaint in federal court block AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner Inc. (“Time Warner”).
On February 14, 2018, it was reported that AT&T Inc. (“AT&T”) identified as a potential witness for trial, Makan Delrahim, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division. AT&T’s request for the antitrust chief to testify is highly unusual, but would appear necessary given that AT&T is claiming as a defense that the DOJ’s action to block the deal is an “improper selective enforcement of the antitrust laws.”
It is common practice in the early stages of litigation to be overly inclusive when identifying witnesses for trial, and just because Delrahim is named does not necessarily mean that he will testify. However, when alleging selective enforcement as a defense, AT&T will necessarily need to put on proof of the improper discrimination behind the DOJ’s decision to block its deal with Time Warner, and presumably no one would be in a better position to testify as to the DOJ’s decision than the actual decision maker: Delrahim.
In addition to its witness list, AT&T has also requested internal communications between Delrahim’s office and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, including emails, phone calls and other communications between the White House and officials at the DOJ.
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