Ryan Maddock

Ryan Maddock advises clients on the full range of antitrust matters, from high-stakes litigation and complex merger reviews to government investigations and day-to-day strategic counseling, bringing commercially focused and pragmatic advice to each engagement. He has represented clients across a variety of industries, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, retail, consumer goods, digital gaming, and platform markets, among others. Representing clients on both the plaintiff and defendant sides of antitrust disputes, Ryan draws on his government enforcement background to advance his clients’ interests—whether bringing affirmative claims or defending against government and private antitrust challenges. 

Prior to joining the firm, Ryan served as a lawyer in the FTC’s Bureau of Competition,  where he litigated merger challenges and led investigations spanning a wide range of industries. In that capacity, he served as a member of multiple litigation teams and gained firsthand experience across every stage of the FTC’s investigative and enforcement process, including reviewing initial filings and conducting preliminary investigations; negotiating, investigating, and managing second requests; presenting recommendations to FTC leadership; negotiating divestitures; and representing the FTC in litigation and at trial. That experience gives Ryan a firsthand understanding of how government enforcers investigate, build, and litigate antitrust cases—insight he applies to help clients respond to  government scrutiny and pursue strategic objectives. 

Representative Matters  

Litigation 

In re Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation 

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota 

Represents Tyson Foods in consolidated class-action litigation alleging price fixing and market allocation in the purchase of fed cattle and sale of processed beef products. 

Subspace Omega LLC v. Amazon Web Services, Inc. 

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington 

Represents Amazon Web Services in a monopolization lawsuit brought by a defunct network optimization startup alleging exclusionary conduct in cloud computing and network optimization markets. 

FTC v. GTCR BC Holdings, LLC and Surmodics, Inc. 

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois 

Represented Alembic, a third-party medical device manufacturer, through fact discovery, motions practice, and trial in the FTC’s challenge to GTCR’s acquisition of Surmodics—the first merger challenge filed by the Trump administration’s FTC. 

In re Prepaid Wireless Group LLC 

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland 

Represented T-Mobile, the sole secured creditor, in the bankruptcy of a debtor that asserted a set-off claim alleging anticompetitive conduct. Successfully defeated the set-off claim and all attempts to modify the underlying contract, resulting in T-Mobile’s full recovery of its arrears plus interest. 

In re Apple iPhone Antitrust Litigation; United States v. Apple Inc. 

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey 

Represents third-party T-Mobile in both the consumer classaction multidistrict litigation and the DOJ’s monopolization suit alleging Apple has unlawfully monopolized the smartphone market through restrictions on third-party developers and services. 

Plintron Technologies USA v. Joseph Phillips et al. 

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington 

Represents third-party T-Mobile in litigation alleging improper business conduct in the wholesale telecommunications industry. 

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sandoz Inc.* 

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts 

Represented Amphastar in its antitrust lawsuit related to Momenta’s alleged failure to disclose patents to a standard-setting body. 

Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Celgene Corporation* 

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey 

Represented Mylan in its lawsuit alleging that Celgene unlawfully withheld drug samples necessary for bioequivalence testing, preventing Mylan from developing generic versions of the cancer medications Thalomid and Revlimid. 

Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Warner Chilcott Public Limited Company (Doryx)* 

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania 

Represented Mylan in product-hopping claims alleging that Warner Chilcott made successive reformulations of acne medication, Doryx, to frustrate generic substitution and maintain its monopoly. 

Merger Review 

Residential Healthcare Provider—Divestiture Buyer Review 

Represented a residential healthcare provider in connection with an FTC merger investigation, advising on antitrust strategy and engaging directly with the agency as the client sought approval as a divestiture buyer. 

Automotive and Industrial Paint Distributor—FTC Investigation 

Represented an automotive and industrial paint distributor in its acquisition by a competitor, guiding the client through a lengthy FTC investigation that raised questions about horizontal competitive effects in a distribution market, resulting in clearance without a second request. 

T-Mobile’s Acquisition of US Cellular—DOJ Review 

Spearheaded the antitrust component of integration planning for T-Mobile during the DOJ’s merger review, coordinating antitrust compliance across the company’s business units. 

Zillow’s Acquisition of Trulia—FTC Second Request* 

Represented Trulia in the FTC’s review of Zillow’s $2.5 billion acquisition, navigating a second request that raised questions about competition in online real estate advertising markets. The parties received clearance from the FTC. 

Taboola’s Proposed Acquisition of Outbrain—DOJ Second Request* 

Represented Outbrain in the DOJ’s review of its proposed combination with Taboola, navigating a second request raising questions about competition in content discovery and native digital advertising markets. The parties received clearance from the DOJ but abandoned it for unrelated reasons. 

Merger Investigations and Litigation as an FTC Enforcer 

Novant Health’s Acquisition of Community Health Systems’ North Carolina Hospitals—FTC Investigation and Litigation 

U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina 

Oversaw all aspects of the investigation into Novant’s proposed $320 million acquisition of two North Carolina hospitals and represented the FTC in the subsequent federal court challenge. Following a favorable U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruling for the FTC, Novant abandoned the transaction. 

RWJBarnabas Health’s Proposed Acquisition of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System—FTC Investigation and Litigation 

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey 

Investigated RWJBarnabas’s proposed acquisition of the only other general acute care hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and represented the FTC in the subsequent federal court challenge. The parties abandoned the transaction. 

Tractor Supply Company’s Acquisition of Orscheln Farm and Home—FTC Investigation and Divestiture 

Investigated Tractor Supply Company’s $320 million acquisition of Orscheln Farm and Home, a competing chain of rural farm stores operating across overlapping markets in the Midwest and South and assisted in negotiating a divestiture of 85 store locations that resolved the FTC’s competitive concerns. 

National Healthcare Provider and Telemedicine Platform—FTC Investigation 

Investigated the proposed acquisition of a large national healthcare provider with a robust telemedicine platform, analyzing competitive dynamics across traditional and digital care delivery markets. 

Tempur Sealy International’s Acquisition of Mattress Firm Group—FTC Litigation 

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas 

Represented the FTC in its federal court challenge to Tempur Sealy’s $5 billion vertical acquisition of Mattress Firm, the largest mattress retailer in the United States. Managed extensive third-party discovery. 

Multiple Industries—Preliminary Investigations 

Led and participated in preliminary investigations across numerous industries, including healthcare providers, telehealth, retail, medical devices, and consumer goods. 

Conduct and Compliance 

Ad Fontes Media—FTC Civil Investigative Demand 

Represented Ad Fontes Media, a news ratings data and technology company that rates media sources for reliability and political bias, in connection with an FTC Civil Investigative Demand issued as part of a broader investigation into alleged collusive restrictions on advertising directed at conservative media. The investigation resulted in no action against Ad Fontes. 

Government Contractor—Grand Jury Subpoena 

Assisted a government contractor in responding to and complying with a federal grand jury subpoena in connection with a criminal antitrust investigation. 

Antitrust Compliance Program Reviews 

Reviewed and updated antitrust compliance programs for multiple clients across diverse industries, advising on pricing, distribution, and competitor interaction policies. 

Large Platform Company—Cross-Jurisdictional Investigation* 

Represented a large platform company in simultaneous antitrust investigations by U.S., U.K., and EU competition authorities. 

Large Medical Device Manufacturer—Competitor Conduct Investigation* 

Led an investigation into a competitor’s allegedly anticompetitive conduct and presented findings to federal antitrust enforcers, state attorneys general, and members of Congress. 

*Indicates representation at a prior firm 

Areas of Focus  

Industries  

Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals 

Communications 

Digital Media & Entertainment, Gaming and Sports 

Food & Beverage 

Healthcare 

Life Sciences and Healthcare 

Medical Device 

Retail & Consumer Products 

Technology and Communications 

Services  

Antitrust and Unfair Competition 

Business Litigation 

Class-Action Defense 

Consumer Protection 

Litigation 

Mergers & Acquisitions 

Regulatory Compliance & Disputes 

Trial Practice 

White Collar & Investigations