Helen Cho Eckert

Helen Cho Eckert is an associate in the Antitrust & Trade Regulation practice group in the Los Angeles office of Sheppard Mullin. 

Areas of Practice

Ms. Eckert's practice focuses on antitrust and unfair competition litigation and complex commercial class actions.  She has represented companies in a number of industries against allegations of horizontal price-fixing.  Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin in 2008, Ms. Eckert was an attorney at Heller Ehrman, where her practice focused on state and federal antitrust litigation. 

Education

• J.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 2005; Co-chair, First National Sexual Orientation Moot Court Competition; Associate Editor, Asian Pacific American Law Journal; Judicial Office, Moot Court Board
• B.S., University of California, Berkeley, 2001, U.C. Regents Scholar
• Externship: Honorable Erithe Smith, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, 2003

Admissions

• California
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Representative Engagements

• Represents Samsung Semiconductor and Samsung Electronics in California state court action alleging horizontal boycott and price-fixing claims. 
• Represented Asiana Airlines in a federal multi-district class action in the Eastern District of New York of direct and indirect purchasers alleging a global conspiracy by air cargo carriers to fix fuel and other surcharges.  Also coordinated representation in parallel Canadian class actions. 
• Represented Asiana Airlines in a federal multi-district class action in the Central District of California of indirect purchasers alleging a conspiracy among air carriers to fix fares on flights along the United States-Korea route. 
• Defended Asiana Airlines in a criminal Department of Justice investigation alleging price-fixing conspiracies in the air cargo and passenger industries. 
• Represented Korea Kumho Petrochemical Company in competitor antitrust action in the Northern District of California alleging monopolization, group boycott, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and unfair competition. 
• Represented Philip Morris in indirect purchaser class action in Kansas state court alleging price-fixing in the cigarette industry. 
• Represented LifeLock in federal action in the Central District of California alleging unfair competition in the credit-reporting industry. 

Honors

• Southern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2009, 2013

Memberships

• Member, Antitrust Section, American Bar Association
• Member, Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section, State Bar of California
• Member, Antitrust and Unfair Business Practices Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association

Articles

• Calif. On Board As Health Care Antitrust Enforcer, Law360, September 27, 2012
• No Mandatory Antitrust Review For ACOs, The Recorder, November 10, 2011
• Levels of antitrust scrutiny for ACOs, The Recorder, April 18, 2011
• Health Care Reform May Prompt Antitrust Violations, The Recorder, February 21, 2011

• "The FTC’s Continuing Challenge to Reverse Payment Patent Settlements in the Pharmaceutical Industry", Pharmaceutical Law & Industry Report, 7 PLIR 749, June 26, 2009
• "Is Obama the New Trust-Buster?", Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 12, 2009
• "District Court Certifies Class in Foundry Resins Price-Fixing Conspiracy Case," Sherman Act Section 1 American Bar Association Volume 5, Spring 2008.
• Co-Author, ""Setting A Higher Standard: The FTC Takes a Tougher Stand on the Ways IP Owners Try to Influence Standard-Setting Organizations"

Antitrust Law Blog Articles

• "Large General Acute-Care Hospital Abandons Acquisition Of 15-Bed Surgical Specialty Center As A Result Of FTC Challenge," November 26, 2012
• "District Court Dismisses Follow-On Suit Challenging Blue Cross's "MFN-Plus' Contracts Under Both Per Se and Rule of Reason Standards," April 11, 2012
• "Ninth Circuit Rejects Consumer Antitrust Challenge To Cable Television Bundling", June 16, 2011
• "First Section 2 Monopolization Case Of the Obama Administration Targets Dominant Texas Health Care Provider", March 11, 2011
• "FTC Gets Shut Down - Once Again - In Its Bid To Change How Courts View Reverse Payment Settlements", June 3, 2010
• "District Court Breathes New Life Into Predatory Pricing and Refusal to Deal Claims After Linkline and Trinko", February 17, 2010
• "Supreme Court's Linkline and Trinko Decisions Result in Tenth Circuit Dismissal of Section 2 Monopolization Case", November 10, 2009
• "DOJ Formally Aligns Itself With FTC In Opposition To Reverse Payment Settlements", August 12, 2009
• "The FTC's Latest Remarks In Opposition To Reverse Payment Settlements: Banning Them Would Save Consumers $35 Billion", July 9, 2009
• "The Latest Advance in the Debate Over Reverse Payment Settlements: Will the Supreme Court Punt, Again?", June 12, 2009
• "Sherman Act Claims Against Credit Reporting Agency Equifax Tossed Out of Court for Lack of Antitrust Injury", May 13, 2009
• "FTC and California AG Join in Challenging Reverse Payment Settlements in the Pharmaceutical Industry", March 6, 2009
• "Ninth Circuit Finds Genuine Issues Relating to Possible Walker Process Fraud Arising from Counsel's Omissions in Patent Application Process", February 10, 2009