Geoffrey S.Irwin (Geoff)

Partner

Washington + 1.202.879.3768

Geoff Irwin is a trial lawyer with a broad range of complex civil litigation experience, particularly in antitrust and bankruptcy litigation.

On the antitrust front, Geoff was part of the winning trial team in FTC v. STERIS Corporation, in which two medical product sterilization companies defeated the Federal Trade Commission's effort to block their merger. He was the lead litigator in the successful combination of two West Virginia hospitals after the FTC decided to withdraw from further litigation. And he was one of the principal courtroom lawyers for Aetna at the government's closely watched trial challenging the proposed merger of Aetna and Humana in late 2016. He also has counseled merger partners receiving antitrust scrutiny from federal agencies in other contexts, resulting in successful outcomes in the Miller/Coors, XM/Sirius, and Hertz/Dollar Thrifty combinations.

Geoff's trial experience also extends to bankruptcy litigation, where he has represented clients in numerous industries seeking to reorganize. He supported Chrysler Corporation's successful emergence from its bankruptcy proceedings and has litigated against opponents to asset sales in various contexts. Most recently, Geoff was a member of the City of Detroit's trial team in its highly publicized municipal bankruptcy proceeding, which resulted in a court-approved plan of adjustment after 16 months of litigation, and has assisted at other bankruptcy-related hearings and trials.

Additionally, Geoff has litigated commercial disputes involving various industries and legal claims, including cases with allegations of securities fraud, accounting fraud, deceptive trade practices, FTC Act violations, and environmental remediation. He was part of the winning trial team in Anchor Savings Bank v. United States, a leading Winstar judgment against the federal government.

Experience

  • Middle East contractor involved in multi-phase arbitration related to wartime truck contracting for U.S. governmentJones Day is representing a Middle East contractor in a multi-phase arbitration with three panelists related to truck contracting and related activities on behalf of the U.S. government and its prime contractor in wartime Iraq.
  • Oi Brasil obtains approval of recovery planJones Day represented the trustee of Oi Brasil Holdings Coöperatief, a subsidiary of the Brazilian telecom giant Oi S.a., who filed for bankruptcy protection in 2016.
  • Cabell cleared to acquire St. Mary's following dismissal of FTC antitrust lawsuit to block transactionAfter a nearly two-year fight with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Cabell Huntington Hospital, Inc. has overcome all regulatory hurdles to its acquisition of St. Mary’s Medical Center, Inc., clearing the way to combine Huntington, West Virginia’s only two health systems.
  • STERIS and Synergy Health close $6.2 billion cash and stock combinationJones Day represented STERIS Corporation in its combination with Synergy Health plc in a cash and stock transaction.
  • STERIS defeats FTC's attempt to block Synergy Health acquisition on antitrust groundsIn a rare litigation defeat against the Federal Trade Commission, Ohio based STERIS Corporation prevailed against an antitrust challenge brought in federal court by the FTC, which sought to block STERIS's proposed $1.9 billion acquisition of Synergy Health plc.
  • Anchor obtains additional damages stemming from savings and loan crisis of 1980'sJones Day client Anchor Savings Bank (now owned by JPMorgan Chase Bank NA) obtained an order from the United States Court of Federal Claims requiring the federal government to pay an additional $63.2 million in damages in the last remaining "Winstar" case arising from the savings and loan crisis of the 1980's.
  • City of Detroit's chapter 9 plan of adjustment confirmedJones Day served as lead restructuring counsel to the City of Detroit in connection with its chapter 9 bankruptcy case filed in July 2013 and its ongoing restructuring efforts.
  • Washington Mutual wins $356 million award in U.S. Court of Federal Claims for damages in "Winstar" case arising from the S&L loan crisis of the 1980'sThe United States Court of Federal Claims awarded $356 million to Jones Day's client Washington Mutual Bank (now JPMorgan Chase Bank), with additional damages still to be awarded that could increase the award to as high as $450 million.
  • Chrysler sold to Fiat-led "New Chrysler" after historic court proceedingsAfter a historic battle all the way to the United States Supreme Court, Chrysler LLC sold substantially all of its assets to Fiat-led "New Chrysler" (Chrysler Group LLC) on June 10, 2009, providing the opportunity for its iconic brands and U.S. operations to survive.
  • sanofi-aventis wins unanimous jury verdict in Arava antitrust litigationJones Day defended sanofi-aventis in an antitrust jury trial involving the claims of a class of drug wholesalers that sanofi had unlawfully blocked generic competition for its rheumatoid arthritis drug Arava.
  • Andris Pukke and DebtWorks defends allegations of common law fraud and violations of the Credit Repair Organization Act brought by the FTCJones Day provided representation to Andris Pukke and DebtWorks, Inc., a credit counseling business and its founder, against claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission and private plaintiffs alleging common law fraud and violations of the Credit Repair Organization Act.
  • XM receives antitrust clearance for $13 billion merger with SIRIUSJones Day obtained antitrust clearance after a lengthy investigation by the Department of Justice on behalf of XM Satellite Radio Holdings in connection with its $13 billion merger with SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
  • SABMiller wins antitrust approval for MillerCoors joint ventureJones Day successfully represented SABMiller, plc as U.S. antitrust counsel in connection with the combination of SABMiller's U.S. and Puerto Rico beer operations with those of Molson Coors Brewing Company to form MillerCoors, the second largest beer company in the United States.
  • Client evades jail time after plea agreement negotiatedA small team of Jones Day lawyers recently achieved a terrific result for a pro bono client in a criminal proceeding in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland.
  • Bridgestone/Firestone resolves tire recall securities class actionJones Day represented Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., in a securities fraud action brought in the aftermath of the Firestone ATX/Wilderness tire recall.