Christopher Young of the Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP, was selected today as an Honoree by the American Antitrust Institute (“AAI”) for its 2022 Antitrust Enforcement Awards for Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement by a Young Lawyer. He was selected for this prestigious award for his key role in In re Capacitors Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:14-cv-03264-JD, 3:17-md-02801-JD (N.D. Cal.).
Chris was one of the lawyers on the plaintiffs’ trial team for the direct purchaser class. The case involves allegations that dozens of international corporations conspired to fix the prices of capacitors above competitive levels. Capacitors are a passive electronic component found in almost all electronic devices.
The case was first tried in March 2020 but halted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and declared a mistrial. A new trial took place in November-December 2021: one of the few civil jury trials to be tried during the pandemic, and certainly one of the largest in scale. The Class reached settlements of $165 million with the remaining defendants immediately before closing arguments and the jury was to receive the case. Combined case settlements total $604.55 million, significantly exceeding the single damages in this case, which were calculated as $427 million or approximately 141% of single results—an extraordinary accomplishment.
As a leading associate for the past three years, Chris has played a central role in coordinating this massive price-fixing litigation as the firm litigated summary judgment and twice tried the case. Crucially, in his first federal jury trial, Chris:
- presented witness testimony
- drafted numerous pretrial filings, including motions in limine
- was the main negotiator and drafter of jury instruction briefing and managed the charging conference
- conducted and defended trial depositions
- second-chaired almost all affirmative live witness examinations
- prepared almost all fact witness scripts
- managed trial motions and drafted plaintiffs’ opening and closing statements
Chris likewise assisted in achieving final approval of a 2020 $232.05 million fourth round of settlements and is doing the same for the 2021 settlements, which gained the Court’s preliminary approval in May 2022.
The American Antitrust Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization devoted to promoting competition that protects consumers, businesses, and society. It serves the public through research, education, and advocacy on the benefits of competition and the use of antitrust enforcement as a vital component of national and international competition policy. AAI’s award will be presented at an awards ceremony on November 9, 2022, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Honorees receive an engraved award.