Overview

David C. Kully is an antitrust attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office, head of the firm's Antitrust Team, and a member of the firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. Mr. Kully has extensive antitrust experience and joined the firm in 2016 after an 18-year career with the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division.

Mr. Kully's practice focuses on antitrust litigation, civil and criminal antitrust investigations by the antitrust enforcement agencies, and counseling clients on the requirements of the antitrust laws. Among other litigation work, Mr. Kully defends clients in bet-the-company class action antitrust litigation. He engages regularly with representatives of the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

While at the DOJ, Mr. Kully served as chief of the Antitrust Division's Litigation III Section from 2013 to 2016 and as assistant chief from 2008 to 2013 in addition to holding central roles on many of the Antitrust Division's most significant matters, achieving a consistent track record of success. For his work on challenges to credit card "anti-steering" rules and to an e-books price-fixing conspiracy, Mr. Kully and his teams were honored with the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service, the DOJ's second-highest performance award. In addition to those high-profile cases, he also supervised and participated in major litigation matters in the residential real estate and appliances industries, and investigations into mergers or other anticompetitive conduct in the music, live entertainment, newspaper, broadcast television, radio, book publishing and movie theater industries.

Before joining the DOJ, Mr. Kully was in private practice at the Washington, D.C., office of a large international law firm and, from there, was recruited to participate as counsel in a special investigation conducted by the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee into campaign finance irregularities that arose during the 1996 federal election cycle.

Representative Experience

  • United States v. Tribune Publishing Co., No. 16-cv-1822 (C.D. Cal.): Litigated to temporary restraining order and sale of newspapers to alternative purchaser in 2016
  • United States v. Entercom Communications Corp., et al., No. 15-cv-1119 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2015
  • United States v. Media General, Inc., et al., No. 14-cv-1823 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2015
  • United States v. Apple, Inc., et al., No. 12-cv-2826 (S.D.N.Y.): Litigated to judgment in 2013; Apple's petition for certiorari denied in 2016
  • United States v. Comcast Corp., et al., No. 11-cv-0106 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2011
  • United States v. Cumulus Media Inc., et al., No. 11-cv-1619 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2011

  • Investigation into potential modifications to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) consent decrees; investigation concluded in 2016 with decision not to seek modifications to the ASCAP or BMI consent decrees
  • United States v. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., et al., No. 15-cv-2181 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2016
  • United States v. Cinemark Holdings, et al., No. 13-cv-0727 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2013
  • United States v. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., et al., No. 10-cv-0846 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2010
  • United States v. Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc., et al., No. 10-cv-0139 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2010
  • United States v. Ecast Inc., et al., No. 05-cv-1754 (D.D.C.): Consent decree entered in 2005
  • Investigation into Pressplay and MusicNet joint ventures formed by major record labels; investigation closed in 2003 with finding that the joint ventures had not harmed consumers or reduced competition

  • Moehrl v. National Association of Realtors, et al., No. 1:19-cv-01610 (N.D. Ill.): Defending real estate franchise company against class-action antitrust challenges to industry commissions practices
  • Defending multifamily property developer against class-action antitrust challenges to rent-setting practices
  • Defended automotive financing company against class-action antitrust challenge to leasing policies; antitrust claims dismissed
  • Defended defense contractor against antitrust claims
  • Pursued antitrust claims on behalf of financial services provider
  • United States v. AB Electrolux, et al., No. 15-cv-1039 (D.D.C.): Litigated through full trial to abandonment by merging parties in 2015
  • United States v. Consolidated Multiple Listing Service, No. 08-cv-1786 (D.S.C.): Litigated through expert discovery; resolved with consent decree entered in 2009
  • United States v. National Association of Realtors, No. 05-c-5140 (N.D. Ill.): Litigated to eve of trial; resolved with consent decree entered in 2008

Credentials

Education
  • Cornell Law School, J.D., magna cum laude
  • Dartmouth College, B.A., Economics
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • District of Columbia
Memberships
  • American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section, Long-Range and Strategic Planning Committee, 2022-2024
  • Steering Committee, Antitrust Community of the District of Columbia Bar, 2017-2023
  • American Bar Association, Antitrust Section; Editorial Board Chair, Annual Review of Antitrust Law Developments (2018, 2019 and 2020 editions)
Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Antitrust Law, 2025
  • Who's Who Legal: Competition, 2023, 2024
  • Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service, U.S. Department of Justice, 2015, 2016
  • John Marshall Award for Participation in Litigation, U.S. Department of Justice, 2009
  • Order of the Coif, 1994
  • Editor, Cornell Law Review, 1994

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News