Bates White: Economic Consulting

Halbert White is Chancellor’s Associates Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego. He is one of the world’s leading economists, recognized for setting new research standards and influencing a broad range of economic disciplines. He has particular expertise in econometrics and has pioneered innovative approaches to econometric methods, statistics, and modeling.

Dr. White has more than 30 years of academic and consulting experience. His expertise has been applied to solve complex challenges for federal agencies and companies across a wide range of industries. He is a prominent testifying expert on damages and has provided expert services to numerous defendant and plaintiff clients involved in international price-fixing matters. He has appeared before competition agencies to present economic analysis of the antitrust implications of proposed mergers and acquisitions.

Dr. White has published more than 100 books and articles, and he holds the unique distinction of having authored the most-cited paper in the peer-reviewed economics literature since 1970. He is a frequent speaker at conferences around the world, and he holds multiple distinctions including: Who’s Who in the World, American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, and Econometric Society Fellow. He is also listed in Global Competition Review’s International Who’s Who of Competition Economists.

Selected Experience

• Served as the testifying expert regarding damages on behalf of several large direct-action plaintiffs involved in a high-profile cartel matter in In re Rubber Chemicals Antitrust Litigation. The arbitration panel unanimously adopted Dr. White’s damages model without qualification or change and used it as the basis of its damages calculation and award.

• Serving as the testifying expert regarding damages for several direct and indirect plaintiffs in In re Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Antitrust Litigation. Responsibilities include analysis of client purchase data, damage estimation, and settlement strategy and support.

• Appeared before the FTC to present analysis of the antitrust implications of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company’s (A&P) proposed acquisition of Pathmark Stores on behalf of the acquiring party. Analysis considered the impact of the entry and exit of nearby supermarkets, grocery stores, and other food retailers on prices, margins, and sales. Provided assistance to attorneys responding to FTC’s second request. The FTC ultimately allowed A&P to acquire Pathmark, requiring Pathmark to divest only six of its 141 stores.

• Served as the testifying expert regarding damages for a large coalition of direct-action plaintiffs involved in In re Linerboard Antitrust Litigation. Presented analysis in the context of mediation and assisted clients in obtaining a favorable settlement outcome.

• Directed economic and statistical analysis regarding damages for a defendant involved in a price-fixing matter in the specialty chemicals industry. Assisted client in obtaining a favorable settlement with class plaintiffs and convincing potential opt-out plaintiffs to accept the class settlement terms.

• Collaborated with the Federal Trade Commission on the impact of the Exxon-Mobil merger on wholesale gas prices. The study found no evidence of an adverse price effect from the merger.

• In In re Methionine Antitrust Litigation, offered expert report, deposition, and hearing testimony regarding the reliability of another expert’s damage analysis on behalf of a large coalition of direct-action plaintiffs involved in a complex price-fixing matter. Successfully rebutted opposing opinions offered by a top-tier academic expert and assisted clients in obtaining a favorable settlement outcome.

• Directed economic and statistical analysis of damages to support a top-tier academic expert working on behalf of a large coalition of direct-action and class plaintiffs involved in In re Vitamins Antitrust Litigation. The matter was tried and resulted in a jury verdict for 110% (before trebling) of the damages plaintiffs sought.

Education

PhD, Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

AB, Princeton University