Alex A. Parkinson

December 8, 2025 — After years of high-stakes litigation and a multi-week bench trial, on November 18, 2025, Chief Judge James E. Boasberg entered judgment for Meta on the FTC’s Section 2 claim. The Court rejected the FTC’s proposed “personal social networking” market and, based on extensive empirical evidence, found a broader social‑media market that includes TikTok and YouTube. The Court concluded that the FTC failed to prove Meta possesses monopoly power in the relevant market. The Court credited field experiments, natural experiments (including platform outages and a ban on the TikTok app in India), and app usage data showing significant and persistent diversion between Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. It found convergence across features and user behavior—particularly the shift toward AI-recommended short-form video and private messaging—undercutting the FTC’s effort to distinguish “social networking” from “entertainment.” The Court declined to infer monopoly power from evidence of Meta’s profits and further determined that the FTC had failed to show that the “quality-adjusted” price of Meta’s apps had declined; on the contrary, it found that “Meta’s apps have continuously improved.”  And in the relevant market, time‑spent and user metrics show that Meta’s share is well below monopoly thresholds and trending down. The court ordered judgment for Meta, ending the FTC’s case at the liability stage. A large Kellogg Hansen team, led by Mark C. Hansen, served as lead trial counsel for Meta.   The lawyers involved at trial included Daniel V. Dorris, Andrew E. Goldsmith, Joseph S. Hall, Jake E. Hartman, Kevin D. Horvitz, Kevin B. Huff, Geoffrey M. Klineberg, Evan T. Leo, Kevin J. Miller, Aaron M. Panner, Alex Parkinson, Ana N. Paul, Leslie V. Pope, Thomas G. Schultz, Lillian V. Smith, Silvija A. Strikis, Ariela M. Migdal, Collin R. White, Justin B. Berg, Geoffrey J.H. Block, Hannah D.C. DePalo, Nataliia Gillespie, Natalie E. Giotta, Jordan R.G. González, Zachary M. Meskell, Diego Negron-Reichard, Aaseesh P. Polavarapu, Catherine M. Redlingshafer, Andrew Skaras, Alex P. Treiger, and Hilary M. Weaver. This case has garnered significant national attention, with coverage in Global Competition Review, Litigator of the Week, Law360’s Legal Lions, and Judicial Notice. These outlets highlighted the complexity of the litigation, the breadth of the economic evidence presented at trial, and the substantial implications of the Court’s decision for antitrust enforcement in digital markets. The recognition across multiple leading publications underscores both the importance of the ruling and the exceptional work of the trial team. Federal Trade Commission v. Meta Platforms, Inc. Case 1:20-cv-03590-JEB..

July 18, 2025 — Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick, P.L.L.C. announces the publication of Multidistrict Litigation, a new legal treatise authored by partner Alex A. Parkinson and published by PLI Press. This authoritative volume explores the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) process in depth, providing attorneys, plaintiffs, and defendants with a clear and practical guide to one of the most significant procedural mechanisms in the federal courts. The analysis draws on Alex’s extensive experience as a trial lawyer in complex commercial litigation, combined with detailed and comprehensive legal research. The treatise and more details can be found here. For more information about Alex Parkinson and his practice, visit his attorney biography. Note: the views expressed in the treatise are of the author, and not of Kellogg Hansen...

January 1, 2025 — Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick, P.L.L.C. is pleased to announce that Christopher C. Goodnow, Bethan R. Jones, Robert C. Klipper, Alex A. Parkinson, and Ana Nikolic Paul have been promoted as partners in the firm. Christopher C. Goodnow represents plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels and in arbitration proceedings.  His prior representations include private antitrust enforcement, complex commercial disputes, and civil fraud defense. Chris joined Kellogg Hansen in 2019 and returned to the firm in 2022 after clerking for Justice Clarence Thomas on the United States Supreme Court.  Before joining the firm, he clerked for the Honorable Diane S. Sykes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Honorable Gregory G. Katsas on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  He received his law degree from Harvard Law School and undergraduate degree from Princeton University. Bethan R. Jones represents clients in complex commercial litigation and has particular experience in antitrust, telecommunications, securities, insurance, and False Claims Act cases. Bethan joined Kellogg Hansen as an associate in 2018.  Prior to joining Kellogg Hansen, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Anthony J. Scirica on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  Bethan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, summa cum laude, where she was a Senior Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and a Littleton Fellow. Robert C. Klipper represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels and in arbitration proceedings.  He also represents clients in criminal and civil regulatory investigations. Robert joined Kellogg Hansen as an associate in 2017.  Prior to joining the firm, Robert served as a law clerk to Judge Pamela Harris on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  He graduated from Yale Law School, where he was an Editor of The Yale Law Journal.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, graduating magna cum laude.  Before law school, Robert worked as an analyst at a major hedge fund. Alex A. Parkinson represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation, focusing on antitrust, commercial litigation, and telecommunications matters across high-tech industries. Alex joined Kellogg Hansen as an associate in 2017, following a clerkship with Judge Robert D. Sack on the Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.  He then returned to the firm as an associate in 2019, following a clerkship with Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit.  Alex graduated with High Honors from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was the first student in decades to both serve as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and win the Moot Court championship.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University.  Ana Nikolic Paul represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels.  She has particular experience litigating antitrust, commercial, intellectual property, and telecommunications matters.  Ana joined Kellogg Hansen as an associate in 2018.  Prior to joining the firm, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Kenneth M. Karas on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and to the Honorable Jay S. Bybee on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Ana graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was Executive Editor for the Harvard Business Law Review and Supervising Editor for the Harvard Journal on Legislation.  She earned her undergraduate degree in international studies and economics from Emory University, graduating magna cum laude. Kellogg Hansen is a preeminent trial and appellate litigation firm founded on the idea that talent, creativity, and hard work achieve the best results for clients.  Formed in the spring of 1993 by law school classmates Michael Kellogg, Peter Huber, and Mark Hansen, our firm has grown over the past 30 years – with each year proving that our founding principle holds true. Today, Kellogg Hansen has more than 90 attorneys, including 46 partners, and boasts an extensive record of success for our clients.   ..

January 31, 2024— In a landmark resolution reached just before closing arguments in a jury trial in the Eastern District of Texas, Dexon Computer has dismissed antitrust allegations against Cisco Systems as part of a comprehensive settlement agreement. Dexon will also pay Cisco to resolve Cisco’s counterfeit-trafficking claims pending in the Northern District of California. Dexon, an unauthorized reseller of Cisco products, also agreed to stop selling unauthorized Cisco products, revamp its business model, and apply to join Cisco\'s authorized reseller program. These steps are intended to uphold customer confidence and ensure the delivery of trusted and verified Cisco products. Cisco sued Dexon in the Northern District of California in July 2020, alleging that Dexon trafficked in counterfeit “Cisco” equipment. Dexon brought counterclaims, including under the antitrust laws, but the court dismissed them. Dexon then brought similar antitrust claims in the Eastern District of Texas in April 2022. A jury trial in the latter case began on January 22, 2024, and the presentation of evidence concluded at the end of that week. The parties were scheduled to deliver closing arguments the following Monday, but on Saturday Dexon moved to dismiss its own claims with prejudice. Cisco Systems is represented by attorneys from Kellogg Hansen: Aaron M. Panner, Andrew E. Goldsmith, Leslie V. Pope, Alex A. Parkinson, Ryan M. Folio, Caroline A. Schechinger, Geoffrey J.H Block, D. Chanslor Gallenstein, Jonathan I. Liebman, and Hilary M. Weaver. Kellogg Hansen is grateful for the critical contributions by its co-counsel in Texas, Deron R. Dacus of The Dacus Firm PC and Jennifer H. Doan and Mariah Leigh Hornok of Haltom & Doan, and its co-counsel in both cases, Richard J. Nelson, Louis P. Feuchtbaum, Zachary Alinder, and Lyndsey Heaton of Sideman & Bancroft LLP. The overall litigation effort was led by Cisco’s in-house team, including Sarita Venkat, Karen Lu, Gil Ohana, Michael Blaisdell, and Jon Schwartz. See also: Order of Dismissal (January 29, 2024) ..

April 27, 2023— A D.C. Circuit panel refused to revive a case from brought on by 46 States, the District of Columbia, and Guam which accused Facebook parent company Meta Platforms of monopolizing social networking through “buying or burying” would-be competitors. The States’ Complaint alleged that Facebook adopted policies that prevented competing social platforms from accessing Facebook\'s suite of software tools called \"Facebook Platform.\" The Complaint claimed that these policies resulted in a sudden loss of functionality for competing apps, leaving them \"broken or buggy,\" but Facebook removed these policies in 2018. The Complaint was filed in December 2020 by both the States and the Federal Trade Commission. As such, the panel affirmed the States waited too long by filing a case targeting acquisitions that occurred several years before. Meta has been integrating the services and changing its own products in accordance with the deals and acquisitions. This is a significant refusal-to-deal case and an authoritative opinion from the D.C. Circuit in regard to laches and state sovereigns. It is also an important case in looking to the future of tech, as the panel stated in the Opinion, “the industry [,] . . . even on the States’ allegations, has had rapid growth and innovation with no end in sight.”  Meta Platforms is represented by attorneys from Kellogg Hansen: Aaron Panner, Mark Hansen, Leslie Pope, and Alex Parkinson. Read the full article here. ..