Priceless: The Case that Brought Down the Visa/MasterCard Bank Cartel - Softcover

At a time when class actions and plaintiffs' attorneys are under attack, this book is an essential corrective. It demonstrates that private enforcement can work but only when dedicated counsel are willing to be their careers on a David-versus-Goliath battle with the industry. Lloyd Constantine and his colleagues broke a cartel that robbed consumers and restrained competition and did it with virtually no help from the government. But they almost lost on several occasions. Big case litigation is a marathon, not a spring, and this behind-the-scenes account reveals the tactics fair and foul that defendants can use to crush their opponents. Many will not like how they are portrayed in this 'tell-all' account that is opinionated, acerbic, and pulls no punches. But much like A Civil Action, it provides a blunt, 'warts and all' perspective on the real world of mega-litigation. --John Coffee, Adolf A. Berle Professor of Law, Columbia University Law School Priceless lifts 'crusading lawyer' from the dustbin of cliches and gives the term new meaning. Lloyd Constantine tells the story of the nation's largest (by far) antitrust case with candor, clarity, and wit. --Nick Taylor, award-winning author of American Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: When FDR Put the Nation to Work Constantine's brilliant but easy to read book is a David and Goliath story about his own career and the seminal Visa/MasterCard case that broke the back of a giant anticonsumer conspiracy and that reaffirmed the core pro-competition concept that lies at the heart of America and its economic system. --Robert Abrams, Former Attorney General of New York

Lloyd Constantine gives us the insider's story on the biggest antitrust lawsuit in history, a case that pitted his small firm against financial-industry giants Visa and MasterCard, along with Clifford-Chance, the largest law firm in the world. Combining the real-life legal drama of A Civil Action with the relentless pace of a John Grisham novel, Constantine delivers the account of a case that made history and will be studied for years to come. Priceless travels from corporate backrooms to the courtroom to capture one of America's biggest triumphs in the high-stakes world of antitrust litigation.