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Electronic Payments Practice

Constantine Cannon has unparalleled expertise and worldwide recognition in cases involving the payments industry.  Since the firm’s formation in 1994, we have represented clients concerning virtually every major antitrust development in the payments space.  

This includes litigating every major antitrust case involving Visa, Mastercard and American Express since the 1990s. The firm has represented clients with respect to government investigations, mergers and joint ventures in the industry.  

Our payments industry expertise spans the convergence of fintech and digital commerce and payments.  We are adept at helping large, diverse groups of clients band together in complex cases that require significant time, stamina and legal acumen to plan and win. 

For instance, we serve as counsel for the 7-Eleven Group, the largest of several groups of retailers challenging Visa’s and Mastercard’s Honor All Cards and default interchange rules in a long-running multidistrict litigation.  The 7-Eleven Group includes many of the largest merchants in the United States, including Amazon, Costco, Lowes, Starbucks, Gap, Amtrak, 7-Eleven among many others.

Complex Cases, Major Wins

For millions of retailers, our lawyers secured what was then the largest antitrust settlement in U.S. history in In Re Visa Check/MasterMoney Antitrust Litigation. The case was brought by Walmart and other large retailers on behalf of a certified class of four million retailers that had been forced to accept Visa/MasterCard signature debit transactions at supra-competitive prices. Our work resulted in a monetary settlement of $3.4 billion (then three times the previous largest award) and injunctive relief estimated by the Court at upwards of $87 billion. 

Constantine Cannon also secured what was then the third largest antitrust settlement for client Discover Financial Services, Inc. Discover had sued Visa and MasterCard for damages regarding Visa’s and Mastercard’s enforcement of rules that precluded their bank members from issuing Discover-branded cards. The case resulted in a settlement of $2.75 billion on the eve of trial.

For a group of more than 60 merchants, including both Walmart and Amazon, we successfully objected to the $7.25 billion settlement of the class claims against Visa and Mastercard regarding their Honor All Cards and default interchange rules, among other practices.  That settlement was vacated by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 

Versatile, Nimble, Experienced

Our payments work extends well beyond the trial and appellate courts. Constantine Cannon regularly represents industry participants, including merchants, fintechs and networks, before federal and state antitrust enforcers and regulators. 

We served as lead counsel for the Merchant Payments Coalition, a coalition of the major merchant trade associations, before the Federal Reserve in connection with regulations adopted per the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act regarding debit card transactions and debit card interchange fees. And we have remained deeply involved in ongoing advocacy for enforcement of debit regulation before the Federal Reserve and the Federal Trade Commission.

Our firm also serves as outside general counsel for the Merchant Advisory Group (the MAG), a payments-focused trade association comprised of more than 150 U.S. merchants and which account for more than $4.8 trillion in annual sales at more than 580,000 locations across the United States and online.

A Leader in Antitrust Issues

Constantine Cannon’s lawyers are thought leaders on issues related to electronic payments. Because of our deep expertise and winning track record, we are routinely asked to speak and write on e-payments developments. Here is a sampling of our articles:

 

Contact us to learn more about our antitrust expertise in electronic payments matters and subscribe to our Payments Blog for news updates and insights.  

 

To keep up with our Antitrust Team, subscribe to our Antitrust Today blog, follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter and listen to our podcast, Antitrust Matters.

 

Payments News Update – May 10, 2024

Posted  05/10/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: Senate Leaders Committed to CCCA Vote, Marshall Says Punchbowl News – May 3, 2024 Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told reporters he’d received a commitment from Senate leadership to hold a vote on the Credit Card Competition Act before the end of the 118th Congress, the senator’s latest move to up pressure on the chamber’s leadership. Marshall spoke to...

Payments News Update – May 3, 2024

Posted  05/3/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: Major US Retailers Blast Mastercard, Visa Card Fees Settlement Reuters – April 29, 2024 Target, Walmart, and other retailers have urged a U.S. judge to reject a proposed class-action settlement with Visa and Mastercard over credit and debit card fees, saying the accord does not go far enough. The companies opposed the settlement in a series of filings on Friday...

Payments News Update – April 26, 2024

Posted  04/26/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: CFPB Internal Shakeup to Supercharge Fintech, Big Bank Cops Bloomberg Law – April 19, 2024 (subscription may be required) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s enforcement and supervision teams, including those overseeing financial technology firms and other nonbank lenders, will soon get a direct line to Director Rohit Chopra to correct potential...

Payments News Update – April 12, 2024

Posted  04/12/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: Visa, Mastercard CEOs Throw Hearing Off Track Payments Dive – April 9, 2024 Sen. Dick Durbin opted to postpone a Senate Judiciary hearing this week focused on Visa and Mastercard’s business practices after CEOs of the credit card companies declined to appear Tuesday. But Durbin, who chairs the committee, is still angling to bring those chief executives to...

Payments News Update – April 5, 2024

Posted  04/5/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: Mastercard Still Raising Some Fees on Retailers After Settlement Bloomberg Law – April 3, 2024 (subscription may be required) Mastercard Inc. plans to increase certain credit card fees charged to merchants beginning April 15, just days after the company and Visa Inc. trumpeted a $30 billion settlement over separate swipe fees designed to provide relief to retail...

Payments News Update – March 29, 2024

Posted  03/29/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: Visa, Mastercard Swipe Fee Deal Fails to Stem More Litigation Bloomberg Law – March 28, 2024 (subscription may be required) Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc.'s $30 billion swipe fee settlement with merchants provides only temporary relief for US businesses and won’t stop additional litigation against the payment networks, critics say. The companies this week...

Payments News Update – March 8, 2024

Posted  03/8/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: Taking the Measure of Click to Cancel Digital Transactions Magazine – March 1, 2024 Faced with a proposal to make it easier to stop a subscription, payments companies and subscription specialists have much to ponder. Everyone dreads the inevitable sales pitch that comes when trying to cancel some subscriptions. There’s multiple pages to read online and the...

Payments News Update – March 1, 2024

Posted  03/1/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: GOP Senators Propose Ban on Central Bank Digital Currencies The Hill – February 26, 2024 Republican senators introduced legislation Monday that would ban official cryptocurrencies backed by central banks, a type of proposed digital asset that the Biden administration and Federal Reserve have expressed interest in studying. GOP senators said that Fed-backed...

Payments News Update – February 23, 2024

Posted  02/23/24
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: US Supreme Court Wrestles With Bid to Challenge Debit Card 'Swipe Fee' Rule Reuters – February 20, 2024 U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday grappled with a North Dakota convenience store's challenge to a government regulation on debit card "swipe fees" - a case that could make it easier for businesses to try to undo longstanding federal rules. Arguments in the...
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