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Christopher Micheletti
Partner
Oakland
555 12th Street
Suite 1230
Oakland CA 94607
TEL: (415) 633-1912
FAX: (415) 693-0770
{ mail } cmicheletti@zellelaw.com
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Practice Areas
Bar and Court Admissions
Education
Past Professional Experience

Christopher T. Micheletti

Chris is an antitrust litigator with over 30 years of experience in the areas of antitrust litigation and class actions.  Chris has represented individual and business plaintiffs in price-fixing, market allocation, monopolization, group boycott and other antitrust class actions. Chris has played central roles in the successful prosecution of numerous high-stakes California state and nationwide antitrust class actions, including all aspects of fact discovery, class certification proceedings, expert work, submissions and discovery, summary judgment, trial and settlement approval proceedings.

While Chris has focused primarily on antitrust class actions over the past 20+ years, the breadth of his experience in other areas, including in property insurance coverage litigation and all aspects of trademark, trade dress and trade secrets litigation, give him broader litigation perspectives and capabilities that benefit his clients in any complex commercial litigation he handles.

Representative Matters

In re: Hard Disk Drive Suspension Assemblies Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal.).  Chris is court-appointed co-lead counsel in this price fixing and market allocation class action brought by indirect purchaser end-users of HDD suspension assemblies. Among other successes, Chris and the plaintiffs’ team defeated defendants’ efforts to dismiss the end-user plaintiffs’ complaint, 2021 WL 4306018 (N.D. Cal. 2021), and defendants’ summary judgment motion based on the Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act, 2024 WL 1354466 (N.D. Cal. 2024).

In Re Eyewear Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.). Zelle is a court-appointed member of the direct purchasers’ Executive Committee in this action on behalf of purchasers of premium eyewear against EssilorLuxottica alleging monopolization, resale price maintenance, exclusive dealing and price-fixing of premium eyewear sunglasses, spectacle frames and custom lenses in the U.S.  Chris has teamed with co-lead and other counsel in the case in preparation the operative consolidated amended class action complaint filed in August 2024.

In Re: Passenger Vehicle Replacement Tires Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Ohio). Chris is a court-appointed member of End-Payor Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in this action against tire manufacturers alleging price-fixing of passenger vehicle replacement tires in the U.S.

In Re: Concrete and Cement Additives Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.). Chris represents a construction business plaintiff and the putative state classes of indirect purchasers of concrete, cement, and mortar admixtures (CCAs) in this action against manufacturers thereof alleging price-fixing of CCAs. A U.S. DOJ criminal grand jury is ongoing in this matter.

In Re: Crop Protection Products Loyalty Program Antitrust Litigation (M.D. N.C.). Chris represents a California farmer and the putative class of purchasers of crop protection products in this action against Syngenta and Corteva alleging that their loyalty agreements with crop protection product dealers unlawfully block rival makers of generic crop protection products from the market, and insulate defendants from competition.

In Re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation (S.D. Cal.). Chris represents a certified class of indirect purchaser end-users of canned tuna products in this price-fixing action against canned tuna manufacturers.  Chris played key roles in pleading motions, expert work, and class certification proceedings. The district court’s granting of class certification was upheld in an important en banc decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, 31 F.4th 651 (9th Cir. 2022), and a settlement was reached with all remaining defendants in 2024.

In re: Domestic Airline Travel Antitrust Litigation (D.D.C). Chris represents purchasers of domestic airline travel services against major airlines in this class action alleging anti-competitive capacity restriction by United Airlines, Delta Airlines, and other carriers.  Chris had key roles in discovery against United and Delta, including taking merits depositions of key airline executives, and in plaintiffs’ successful opposition to defendants’ motion for summary judgment. See In re: Domestic Airline Travel Antitrust Litigation, 691 F.Supp.3d 175 (D.D.C. 2023).

In re California Gasoline Spot Market Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal.). Zelle is appointed to the Executive Committee in this antitrust class action on behalf of California consumers of gasoline, alleging that unlawful spot market trading and reporting tactics succeeded in manipulating the spot market pricing and driving up gas prices in the retail market.  Chris has assisted co-lead counsel in a third-party discovery and other matters. This matter and the related action by the California Attorney General settled for a combined $63.9 million in 2024.

In re: Railway Industry Employee No-Poach Antitrust Litigation (W.D. Pa). Chris represented a settlement class representative and the settlement class in this action on behalf of employees of defendant rail equipment manufacturers, in which defendants entered illegal “no-poach” agreements not to hire each other’s employees.  The case settled for $49 million.

In re Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal.). Chris represents multiple certified state classes in this action on behalf of indirect purchasers of CRTs. To date, the case has settlements of over $580 million.  Chris played central roles in briefing and arguing class certification, expert work and discovery, trial preparation and settlement approval proceedings.  2013 WL 5429718 (N.D. Cal. 2013) (class certification report and recommendation); 2013 WL 5391159 (N.D. Cal. 2013) (order adopting class certification report and recommendation).

In re Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal.). Zelle was lead counsel in this class action on behalf of indirect purchasers of SRAM in multiple states.  Chris led the plaintiffs’ team in all aspects of this complex, price-fixing action, including obtaining the first favorable class certification ruling in an indirect purchaser electronic component part case in N.D. Cal., 264 F.R.D. 603 (N.D. Cal.), paving the way for numerous similar matters that followed. The case resulted in settlements of over $41 million.

California Smokeless Tobacco Antitrust Litigation (San Francisco Superior Court).  Chris was a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in this California Cartwright Act action on behalf of a class of California indirect purchasers of moist smokeless tobacco products.  Chris had a central role in litigating and settling this monopolization claim for $96 million on behalf of the class.

Articles & Presentations

"Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Standing Heads In New Direction," Competition Law360, July 2, 2020, co-author

"Indirect Purchaser Cases in 2017: Key District Court Rulings," Competition Law360, January 8, 2018, co-author

"Indirect Purchaser Cases in 2017: Key Appeals Court Rulings," Competition Law360, January 5, 2018, co-author

“False Advertising Class Actions: Practitioner’s Guide to Class Certification, Damages and Trial,” Bar Association of San Francisco seminar, June 14, 2017, moderator

"2016 Highlights From Indirect Purchaser Class Actions," Competition Law360, December 23, 2016, co-author

ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Indirect Purchaser Litigation Handbook, Second Edition (2016), contributing author

Food Labeling and False Advertising Class Actions panel presentation, Bar Association of San Francisco - Continuing Legal Education, San Francisco, CA, May 13, 2015, moderator

"2 Years After Comcast, Little Has Changed," Competition Law360, March 18, 2015, co-author

"In Search of BIGFOOT: Corrective Advertising Remedies in U.S. Trademark Infringement Actions—Part 2," INTA Bulletin, January 15, 2015, author

"In Search of BIGFOOT: Corrective Advertising Remedies in U.S. Trademark Infringement Actions—Part 1," INTA Bulletin, January 1, 2015, author

“The California Difference: Why California Really Matters – A Symposium – Indirect Purchaser Standing Under California Antitrust Law and Federal Antitrust Law – Plaintiff Perspective,” The Journal of the Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the State Bar of California, Competition Vol. 22, No. 2, Fall 2013, author

"Incentive Award Guidance From Recent Class Actions," Competition Law360, September 6, 2013, co-author

Class Actions and Other Aggregate Litigation - New Supreme Court Cases on Evidentiary Standards: When do Plaintiffs Need to Prove What, and How Do They Need to Do That? Law Seminars International 9th Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, May 13, 2013, co-panelist

"Indirect-Purchaser Exceptions To Illinois Brick Continue," Competition Law360, January 25, 2013, co-author

Professional Affiliations

Community Service

Noteworthy

Recognized in Band 2 by the 2024 Chambers USA Guide for the California Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff category.

Selected as among The Best Lawyers in America® in Antitrust Law in 2014-2025. The Best Lawyers in America recognizes only the top 5.3% of elite lawyers in the nation across 150 practice areas.

Selected to Lexology Index’s Thought Leaders USA 2025 in the category of Competition - Plaintiff.

Who’s Who Legal: Competition by Global Competition Review named Chris a “Global Leader” in Plaintiffs’ Competition in 2022, describing Chris as “a deeply experienced litigator who receives widespread praise from market commentators for his top-notch antitrust practice.”  Chris was also named a “Thought Leader” in 2023 and 2024, which the publication describes as individuals “worthy of special mention owing not only to their vast expertise and experience advising on some of the world’s most significant and cutting-edge legal matters, but also their ability to innovate, inspire, and go above and beyond to deliver for their clients.” Chris was also “recommended” by Who’s Who Legal: Competition in 2019 – 2024.

Named a Northern California "Super Lawyer" in Antitrust, Business and/or Intellectual Property Litigation in 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2014-2024.

Benchmark Litigation named Chris a “California Litigation Star” in Competition/Antitrust and General Commercial litigation in 2019-2025.

The Legal 500 review of Zelle LLP in Plaintiffs Competition has recognized Chris as a “pragmatic . . , determined and highly skilled litigator.”

Cited in the The Legal 500 US ranking of the firm for Antitrust Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Plaintiff in the United States, 2024 

Lawdragon included Chris among its "500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers" in 2019–2024.

The Daily Journal included Chris in its list of ‘Top Antitrust Lawyers’ in California in 2020.

News

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