Overrules Dr Miles decision;
Vertical price restraints are to be judged by the
rule of reason

• 5-4 decision
• Dr. Miles Medical v John D Park & Sons made it per se illegal under 1 of the Sherman Act for a manufacturer and its distributor to agree on the minimum price the distributor can charge for the manufacturers goods (vertical price restraint)

• Dr Miles: 220 US 373 (1911)

• Defendant can thus introduce evidence about pro-competitive effects of its refusal to sell to retailers that discount its goods below suggested prices

• Expert testimony on this point had been excluded at trial in light of Dr Miles decision

Supreme Court opinion   6.28.07

• Opinion - PDF format  Click here for printable PDF
• Oral argument transcript

Fifth Circuit opinion 3.20.06

• Opinion - PDF format  Click here for printable PDF

Litigants

• Petitioner Leegin Creative Leather
• Respondent PSK
• Reply 

Amicus briefs

• US Department of Justice / Federal Trade Commission

• Alternate PDF
• Dissenting FTC commissioner

After Supreme Court opinion issued

• Skadden Arps  6.29.07
• Latham  6.29.07 
• Gibson Dunn  6.28.07 
• Foley Lardner  6.28.07 
• Wilson Sonsini  6.28.07 
• DLA Piper  6.29.07
• University of Chicago Law  6.28.07
• Ballard Spahr  6.29.07
• Allen & Overy  6.29.07
• Pillsbury Winthrop  6.29.07
• Paul Weiss 7.02.07
  

Before Supreme Court opinion issued

• Sonnenschein  3.27.07
• Perkins Coie 12.18.06
• Pillsbury Winthrop 3.29.07

Supreme Court Cases