Sara Champion provides economic analysis and applies advanced statistical techniques to complex business litigation. Dr. Champion leads teams to address class certification, liability, and damages issues, often analyzing large, proprietary datasets. Specializing in labor, employment, and antitrust and competition matters, with particular expertise in healthcare, her industry experience includes agriculture, banking, consumer products, education, pharmaceuticals, and technology.
Labor and employment
Dr. Champion has extensive experience addressing key issues in high-profile labor and employment matters related to class certification, discrimination, compensation, and monopsony power. Her recent work has involved:
- Analyzing a large database in a Department of Justice investigation of an alleged non-compete agreement
- Estimating damages in a case involving alleged gender discrimination
Antitrust and competition
Dr. Champion analyzes a range of class certification, liability, and damages in antitrust and competition matters, including:
- Conducting data-intensive evaluation alleged collusion and price fixing in Southeastern Milk Antitrust Litigation
- Addressing market definition and market power related to alleged monopoly pricing of electronic products
Healthcare and life sciences
Dr. Champion has experience with False Claims Act issues including reimbursement-related disputes. She has also addressed competition issues arising in the healthcare sector and involving health insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies. Representative work includes:
- Evaluating the competitive impact of proposed divestiture in U.S. v. Aetna/Humana
- Analyzing the competitive impact of alleged reverse payment settlement agreements between pharmaceutical manufacturers
Consumer fraud and product liability
Across a diverse range of cases, Dr. Champion has consulted on matters related to alleged consumer fraud, product liability, and general damages:
- Performing econometric analysis (including critiquing conjoint survey data and modeling consumer preferences) in the bellwether consumer class action In re Whirlpool Front-Loading Washer Products Liability Litigation
- Estimating damages for high-profile cases involving consumer fraud allegations in the banking industry
Prior to joining Cornerstone Research, Dr. Champion was an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. She has also taught undergraduate courses in statistics.
Cornerstone Research Announces Promotions to Senior Vice President and Principal
- No-Poach Clauses in QSR Litigation
- Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College et al.
- Allegations of “No-Poach” Hiring Agreement Between Tech Firms
- Proposed Merger of Aetna and Humana Enjoined
- Southeastern Milk Antitrust Litigation
- In re Whirlpool Corp. Front-Loading Washer Products Liability Litigation
- “Emerging Competition Issues in Biologics,” Antitrust Health Care Chronicle, July 2013
