Bennett Jones’ renowned competition group is spearheaded by Randal Hughes and former competition commissioner Melanie Aitken. She leads teams acting for Bristol Myers Squibb on its proposed merger with Celgene, for Fiserv related to its proposed purchase of First Data and for energy-focused environmental solutions company Tervita on its acquisition of Newalta after the deal’s one-year waiting period challenge expired without a challenge in July. The firm also worked on a pair of aviation deals, guiding Canadian North on its merger with Bradley Air Services past the first-ever public interest review. The team represented De Havilland Aircraft of Canada on its purchase of the Dash 8 aircraft program from Bombardier.
Hughes and his team successfully defended Brewers Retail against a class action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, where consumers alleged anticompetitive conduct in the sale of beer in Ontario. The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of the case. Bennett Jones is representing Panasonic in cases related to lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, auto parts, capacitors and resistors. It acted for Bank of America in the Anti-Steering settlement.