8月10日，美国联邦第二巡回上诉法院针对“美国对华反垄断第一案”做出最新判决，撤销了要求中国维生素C生产商河北维尔康制药有限公司及其母公司华北制药集团有限责任公司进行高额赔偿的一审判决，并指令原告不得再次起诉。
美国威尔逊律师事务所在本案中代理维尔康及华北制药集团；盛德律师事务所则为中国商务部提供服务。
根据相关报道，此案肇始于2005年，美国客商以形成垄断为由，起诉包括河北维尔康在内的中国4家主要维生素C生产企业以过高价格出售维生素C。维尔康一审败诉，被要求赔偿约1.5亿美元。然而2016年，维尔康在二审中胜诉，因为上诉法院认为中国当时的法律要求出口商必须以固定价格及数量出口维他命C。
2018年，此案再遇“反转”：美国最高法院将本案发回重审，认为联邦法院对于外国政府如何解释本国法律只有“出于礼仪的考量必要”，不过二审法院在近日仍做出了维持原判的决定，指出中美反垄断法对厂商的要求存在“真实冲突”，美国政府更应通过外交及贸易谈判手段解决上述问题。
本案中中国政府首次在美国法庭露面：中国商务部向法庭提交了相关文件，以支持维尔康的论证。
威尔逊团队主导律师包括合伙人Jonathan Jacobson、Scott Sher、Brad Tennis；盛德团队主导律师为合伙人Carter Phillips。
Wilson, Sidley on Chinese vitamin C price-fixing lawsuit
A U.S. appeals court on August 10 threw out a price-fixing lawsuit against two Chinese companies that make vitamin C, dismissing the 16-1/2-year-old case on basis of a "true conflict" between Chinese and U.S. antitrust laws, and the potential impact on foreign relations.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati represented the two Chinese vitamin C producers, Hebei Welcome Pharmaceutical and North China Pharmaceutical Group, in the case, with Sidley Austin acting for China’s Ministry of Commerce.
In 2005, two American companies sued four major producers from China, claiming they were overcharged for vitamin C, and had won a $147.8 million jury verdict. However, it was voided by the appeals court later because the court noticed that Chinese laws actually mandated fixing prices and quantities of vitamin C exports from 2002 till 2008.
But the U.S. Supreme Court then ordered a second look, saying federal courts owed only "respectful consideration" to foreign governments' interpretations of their own laws. And in a 2-1 decision, the appeals court once again concluded that the U.S. government could better address its concerns with China through diplomacy and trade talks.
The case included the first-ever official appearance by the Chinese government in a U.S. court when China’s Ministry of Commerce filed submissions in support of the exporters’ argument.
The Wilson team was led by partners Jonathan Jacobson, Scott Sher and Brad Tennis; and the Sidley team was led by partner Carter Phillips.
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