Marc M. Seltzer

Antitrust, Class Actions & Securities

Seltzer has litigated some of the most complex, high-profile antitrust cases in the country. The partner and head of the firm’s Los Angeles office has secured landmark wins for clients in cases involving international price-fixing cartels in the auto parts industry, insider trading claims, securities fraud class actions involving the sale of crypto-currency and collusion among major entertainment companies.

He is frequently appointed by courts to serve as lead counsel for plaintiffs in massive multidistrict class action litigations, including in In re Toyota Motor Corp. Unintended Acceleration, where he helped secure a settlement valued at $1.6 billion; and In re Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. Antitrust Litigation, where he and his co-lead counsel secured settlements totaling $86 million.

He was appointed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to serve as co-lead counsel to DirecTV subscribers in a California MDL class action alleging DirecTV’s exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package violates federal antitrust laws. In re: National Football League’s Sunday Ticket Antitrust Litigation, 17-56119 (9th Cir., filed Aug. 13, 2019).

The MDL brings together 27 lawsuits by private and commercial subscribers to DirecTV’s services who allege the broadcaster’s exclusive agreement with the NFL to show live out-of-market NFL games suppresses competition for the sale of live telecasts of games, resulting in decreased choice and increased costs to consumers.

“We won a significant victory on appeal and are now in the midst of pretrial discovery,” Seltzer said in an email.

In 2019, the Ninth Circuit issued a major published decision reversing the district court’s dismissal of the case. Seltzer successfully argued that appeal on behalf of the plaintiffs. In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the decision.

After practicing law for five decades, what still inspires Seltzer is that it always provides “something new and interesting to learn.”

“But most of all are the opportunities the work provides to be of service and make a difference,” he wrote.

That’s an ethos that motivates Seltzer to participate in numerous organizations aiming to improve the legal system and access to justice, including the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. The nonprofit provides free legal services to more than 100,000 people living in poverty across Los Angeles each year.

“I have been involved for many years as a board member and supporter of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles,” Seltzer wrote. “Its work provides crucially needed legal services to many thousands of persons in our community who would otherwise be unrepresented in cases that will make a great difference in their lives.”

– Jennifer Chung Klam