Veteran DOJ Antitrust Lawyer Joins Crowell & Moring

Kenneth Dintzer, a veteran U.S. Justice Department lawyer who played a pivotal role in the government’s antitrust case against Google, has transitioned to private practice, joining the law firm Crowell & Moring. According to the firm, Dintzer will be based in their Washington office as a partner.

Dintzer’s distinguished 32-year tenure with the Justice Department included serving as the deputy branch director in the national courts section of the civil division. Most recently, he was instrumental in the government’s successful litigation against Google over its dominance in online search. In August, his team secured a significant federal court ruling, which declared that Google had violated antitrust laws by spending billions of dollars to establish an illegal monopoly, becoming the default search engine worldwide.

This ruling set the stage for a second trial, slated for April, which will focus on proposed remedies. The Biden administration has suggested that Google could be forced to divest its Chrome browser and possibly its Android operating system, which are key components of the company’s market power.

Despite withdrawing from the case in May, Dintzer explained that his departure was a “natural breaking point” after the court’s ruling. He told Reuters that his decision to leave the Justice Department was not influenced by the election of President-elect Donald Trump. “I was only going to leave if I found a firm I would be comfortable with,” Dintzer remarked.

Dintzer also has notable experience outside of antitrust matters, having defended the government’s bailout of American International Group (AIG) during the 2008 financial crisis. He led the defense against a lawsuit filed by former AIG CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, who challenged the government’s acquisition of a 79.9% stake in the insurer. A federal appeals court ultimately ruled in favor of the government in 2017, affirming that Greenberg’s firm had no legal grounds to contest the bailout.

Crowell & Moring’s co-chair of the antitrust and competition group, Jason Murray, praised Dintzer’s move to the firm, stating that his expertise will ensure that Crowell’s clients will “not be out-litigated by any other firm or any agency.”

Source: Reuters