1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: As I said earlier, there is other big legal news today. Uh. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: A federal judge has ruled that the ETNA Humanity HUMANITAH 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: merger is anti competitive with us Today, with us here 4 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: in the Bloomberg Washington studios to talk about it is 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Justice Department, actually Bloomberg Court reporter Andrew Harris um 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: andy based on what had happened Uh in this trial. 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: Was this ruling expected or a surprise? Well, personally, Uh, 8 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,319 Speaker 1: it's a little bit of a surprise to me. As 9 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:36,919 Speaker 1: this case was going on at the same time that 10 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 1: the Justice to Mars also trying a case aimed at 11 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: blocking the merger of Anthem and Signa. So we had 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: these dueling trials running mostly parallel. And believe it or not, Uh, 13 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: this looked to be the closer call than the Anthem trial. 14 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: The Anthem trial was driven by some discord between Anthem 15 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: and Signa that was not president in the Humanic case, 16 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: and it looked for a time like those companies may 17 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: actually pull this one out. So Andrew, ETNA faces a 18 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: one billion dollar breakup fee. Is it going to appeal? Well, 19 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: there's spokesman said that they're considering an appeal and coming 20 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: back to what I said a moment ago. Uh, both 21 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: of these deals had time limits by which they were 22 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: supposed to close. Now last week I believe it was 23 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: Anthem and Signa extended officially the time to close their 24 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: deal to the end of April. But given the discord there, 25 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: I don't know if there'll ever be another renewal if 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 1: they don't get the deal done by then. Uh, these 27 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: parties seem to be a lot more harmonious and could 28 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: probably you work this thing out forever, maybe in the 29 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: hopes that with the change of administrations and new Justice 30 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: Department leadership, they could fashion a deal or with an 31 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: appeal that might let them go forward. Would you say 32 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: it has implacations for the Anthem Signal deal? Does it 33 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: bothe poorly for that deal? Well, different judges, but it 34 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,799 Speaker 1: certainly doesn't augur well as this was the closer call 35 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: of the two cases, and Andrew, do we have an 36 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: indication that the Trump administration will not be as fierce 37 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: about enforcing the antitrust laws as the Obama administration has 38 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,679 Speaker 1: become in the last few years. Only in the most 39 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: general sense, we know that the Trump administration, certainly President 40 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: Trump has promised to be more business friendly than his predecessor. 41 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: All right, thank you, Andrew Harris,