The Yates Memorandum’s Impact of U.S. Cartel Enforcement: Evolution or Revolution?

By Robert E. Bloch, Kelly B. Kramer & Stephen M. Medlock –

This paper suggests that the Yates Memorandum marks a significant change in the DOJ’s approach to investigating and prosecuting individuals. More than a decade ago, DOJ’s Antitrust Division instituted a policy of seeking to prosecute the highestranking responsible executives for cartel behavior. Many of the changes that the Yates Memorandum requires were already anticipated by the Division’s policies. While the