The ruling on the merger of AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Inc. could pave the way for more deals in the healthcare sector.
"It sends a positive signal to markets, to all of these big corporates evaluating value-chain strategies," said Kara Murphy, a partner at consulting firm Bain & Co. who works with corporate clients in the healthcare industry and co-heads the healthcare private equity team.
In a landmark decision, Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on June 12 cleared the AT&T-Time Warner merger, and the deal closed two days later. The ruling was a significant defeat for the Department of Justice, whose November challenge of the transaction marked the first lawsuit against a vertical deal in more than 40 years.
