Richard A. Vance
Kentucky
Stites & Harbison, PLLC
400 West Market Street
Suite 1800
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
Tel: 502-681-0454
Email:
rvance@stites.com
Web:
www.stites.com
Antitrust and Trade Association Experience:
- Advises national and state trade associations on antitrust issues such as industry surveys and information sharing, membership and trade show policies, and product certification and standard setting programs
- Prepares HSR premerger notifications and defends second requests
- Advises hospitals, physician practices and other healthcare providers on the antitrust aspects of strategic transactions
- Defends companies against competition claims, including tying, price discrimination and dealer termination
- Defends antitrust investigations of the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice and Kentucky Attorney General
Rick began his career as a consumer protection investigator with the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. He is a former member of the Governing Committee of the Conference on Consumer Finance Law and a past board member for Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC).
Stites & Harbison has a diverse and talented group of attorneys experienced in antitrust, unfair trade practice, and consumer protection law in both state and federal court. Practicing attorneys include a former investigator for the Federal Trade Commission and a former Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Our firm has particular experience in dealing with what have recently become the largest state court litigations – complaints brought by a state’s Attorney General.
Stites & Harbison pursues successful outcomes in these actions through pre-suit discussions and negotiations, but has also served as lead counsel in some of the largest and most recent actions brought by Kentucky’s Attorney General.
- Ongoing representation of international pharmaceutical companies in the Kentucky “AWP” cases. In these cases, the Attorney General has sued manufacturers alleging conspiracy to inflate reported drug prices and thereby defraud state Medicaid programs. Stites & Harbison served as lead counsel in what has become one of the most favorable AWP rulings in the country.
- Represents state and national trade associations in construction, distilling and other industries
- Numerous successful pre-suit negotiations and mediations with Kentucky’s Attorney General concerning alleged statewide deceptive advertising.
- Achieving dismissal of antitrust counts against a state contractor accused of employing unfair trade practices.
- Securing dismissal of recently-filed antitrust suit tying claims premised upon an alleged market restricted to franchisees.
- Successfully representing Kentucky banks in defending and blocking acquisitions involving competitive issues.
- Achieving a dismissal in the defense of a television company accused of unlawful exclusive dealing.
- Successfully representing a medical products manufacturer against tying claims.
- Achieving a successful preemption defense of a Kentucky Attorney General “Do Not Call” civil penalty action against a national bank.
- Successfully representing retaliatory termination claims under a distribution/franchise contract in violation of Section 1 and Section 2 of the Sherman Act.
- Achieving summary judgment against viable aftermarket claims under Section 2 of the Sherman Act.
Stites & Harbison is a full-service law firm representing clients across the United States and internationally.
Stites & Harbison represents a broad spectrum of clients including multinational corporations, financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, health care organizations, private companies, nonprofit organizations, family-owned businesses and individuals.
The firm maintains 11 offices across the Southeastern region and is able to service the needs of international clients with its memberships in Business Counsel, Inc. and Lex Mundi. Additionally, Stites & Harbison is a member of The Harmonie Group, the national network of top litigation law firms, and is the Kentucky representative to the prestigious Southern Law Network.