Joseph S. Hall

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 (D.D.C)..

June 25, 2020— The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a jury verdict that a management company and skilled nursing facilities owned by Consulate Health Care engaged in a multi-year scheme to defraud Medicare by misrepresenting the level of services they provided.  The court rejected the defendants’ argument that their billing practices were immaterial to the government.  The decision reinstates the jury’s verdict of $85,137,095, resulting in a judgment of more than $255 million after trebling and statutory penalties.  This represents one of the largest False Claims Act (FCA) jury verdict upheld on appeal. “We are gratified that the jury’s Medicare verdict has been affirmed and we are thankful for our client’s personal sacrifice to ensure one of the nation’s largest providers of senior healthcare services is held accountable for committing fraud against American taxpayers,” stated Derek Ho, lead appellate counsel for the whistleblower, Angela Ruckh. Ms. Ruckh is a career nurse with more than 20 years\' experience working in skilled nursing facilities.  When she worked at Consulate’s facilities, she observed them routinely submitting upcoded claims and falsifying reports summarizing patients’ medical conditions and treatment.  Ms. Ruckh filed a False Claims Act complaint in 2011 on behalf of the United States and the State of Florida.  The U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Florida declined to intervene in the case, but Ms. Ruckh and her attorneys persisted and fought the defendants on the government’s behalf.  The case went before a federal jury in Tampa, Florida, in January 2017.  The evidence at trial included not only the financial loss suffered by taxpayers, but also the human cost associated with defendants’ practices.  As lead trial counsel, James Webster, explained to the jury: “[T]he mission … was not care, it was making money.  They placed profits ahead of care.  They pressured the therapists and the nurses to do whatever it took to maximize … profits.”  After a 20-day trial, the jury returned one of the largest qui tam verdicts in history.  However, the district judge granted the defendants’ motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict.  Ms. Ruckh and her attorneys appealed.  “The affirmance of the jury’s verdict is the culmination of nearly eight years of work on the part of our client and our legal team,” stated the whistleblower’s lead counsel, Silvija Strikis.  “We are thankful for the trust our client placed in us to take on this case with her.” Case citation:  Judgments, United States ex rel. Ruckh v. CMC II LLC, No. 11-1303 (M.D. Fla. Mar. 1, 2017), judgments vacated, 304 F. Supp. 3d 1258 (M.D. Fla. Jan. 11, 2018), aff’d in part, vacated in part, rev’d in part sub nom. United States ex rel. Ruckh v. Salus Rehabilitation, LLC, No. 18-10500, 2020 WL 3467393 (11th Cir. June 25, 2020). ..

October 1, 2018— Michael Mullen, the former chief operating officer of a subsidiary of AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE: ABC), played an instrumental role in a landmark $625 million civil settlement announced today between his former company and federal and state prosecutors over false claims submitted for unapproved and adulterated drugs, double-billing from exploiting overfill, and kickbacks to physicians. His whistleblowing was also critical in the government’s criminal investigation of the company, which led to its conviction for violations of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act and criminal fines totaling $260 million. The combined $885 million settlement is one of the largest pharmaceutical settlements in history and includes a Corporate Integrity Agreement between AmerisourceBergen and the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. “Mr. Mullen courageously spoke up internally about compliance issues, which cost him his job, and then alerted law enforcement of his concerns after vetting his claims with whistleblower attorneys,” said Mr. Mullen’s attorney, Bob Thomas. “He did the right thing, and we are immensely proud of him.”  At issue were drugs used to treat cancer or the side effects of cancer treatments. As set forth in the government’s civil settlement papers and criminal charging documents, the defendants illegally harvested overfill by repackaging manufacturer-produced vials into pre-filled syringes at an unlicensed facility operating outside the regulatory oversight of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The defendants then offered the syringes to physicians at a discount, and patients unwittingly received drugs that had been manipulated in ways resulting in adulteration and contamination. “Cancer patients have the right to be treated using drugs that are not adulterated or contaminated, and drug wholesalers have a duty to ensure the safety and security of the drugs they distribute,” stated Mr. Mullen. “The unlicensed facility is now closed, and I am hopeful our efforts have made a positive difference in patients’ lives.” Mr. Mullen provided the first-hand, operational knowledge necessary to detect AmerisourceBergen’s violations of federal and state laws. His amended qui tam complaint, unsealed today in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, details AmerisourceBergen’s overfill laundering scheme and the executives who knew about the oncology business model and regulatory issues, including the former and current AmerisourceBergen CEOs. “When presented with compliance problems, AmerisourceBergen swept them under the rug to maximize profits,” stated Mr. Mullen’s attorney, Joseph Hall. “The settlement and criminal conviction would not have come to fruition without Mr. Mullen risking his career, livelihood, and reputation to ensure these practices were stopped. We are thankful Mr. Mullen entrusted us with this case.” The whistleblowers are set to receive approximately $99 million in a whistleblower award. Mr. Mullen will be sharing the award with three other whistleblowers who later corroborated his allegations in complaints filed after his. Mr. Mullen is represented by Bob Thomas and Suzanne Durrell of the Whistleblower Law Collaborative, Joseph Hall, Silvija Strikis, and Andrew Shen of Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick, P.L.L.C., and Neil Cartusciello of Cartusciello & Kozachek LLC. “AmerisourceBergen no longer produces millions of pre-filled syringes because of the outstanding work of this team and the government,” stated Mr. Mullen. “I would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, particularly Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Zwany and Matthew Silverman, the Civil Frauds Section of the Department of Justice, particularly Sanjay Bhambhani, the State Medicaid Fraud Control Units, and the law enforcement agents.” The drugs used in the pre-filled syringes program were Procrit®, Aloxi®, Kytril®, generic versions of granisetron injection, Anzemet® and Neupogen®. Press Contacts:Bob Thomas | bob@thomasdurrell.com | 857-207-0924Whistleblower Law Collaborative Joseph Hall | jhall@kellogghansen.com | 202-326-7983Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick, P.L.L.C. ..