The Antitrust Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office encompasses Antitrust as well as the Tobacco Enforcement Unit. Both are enforcement entities.
Antitrust Section
The Antitrust Section promotes competition in Ohio markets by ensuring that, whenever possible, the market forces of supply and demand are the primary determinants of price, quality, selection and innovation of products and services. To fulfill this mission, our staff:
- Enforces antitrust laws. We enforce Ohio’s antitrust law, the Valentine Act (Ohio Revised Code 109.81 and ORC 1331) – and may rely on federal antitrust law (including under 15 U.S. Code § 15c) to restore competition in the marketplace
- Investigates suspected wrongdoing. We look into complaints that our office receives about antitrust issues in Ohio. We also partner with other state agencies as well as federal agencies on larger antitrust investigations impacting multiple states.
- Litigates. When an investigation turns up serious antitrust concerns, we may file a civil lawsuit to stop the harmful conduct. For certain antitrust violations, we may also work with county and federal prosecutors to criminally charge individuals or companies. As attorneys for the state, we represent Ohio in antitrust lawsuits that broadly affect Ohio residents. We can also represent state agencies and municipalities in antitrust litigation. We cannot represent individuals.
Tobacco Enforcement Unit
The Tobacco Enforcement Unit has three primary responsibilities:
- Enforcing the terms of the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) and the related consent decree. This involves monitoring the activities of tobacco companies, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Taxation, to ensure their ongoing compliance with the terms of the MSA and related state laws.
- Maintaining the Attorney General’s Tobacco Directory and conducting an annual certification process for manufacturers of tobacco products.
- Representing the Ohio Department of Health for matters relating to Ohio’s indoor-smoking ban.