Karen M. Lent

With more than 25 years of experience handling complex, high-stakes cases across a range of industries, Ms. Lent represents major global companies and numerous professional sports leagues and teams in a wide variety of litigation and regulatory matters, securing favorable outcomes while navigating intricate legal landscapes.

Highly regarded for her strategic judgment and depth of knowledge, she is a go-to adviser for clients and handles some of the most significant and challenging antitrust matters in the U.S. and abroad. Among many other accolades, Ms. Lent has been consistently recognized by Chambers USA, where she has been praised as a “terrific and excellent litigator” and a “first call” for companies involved in pivotal, high-profile litigation.

Ms. Lent’s broad practice spans antitrust litigation, class actions and government investigations, and she has been instrumental in defending clients in some of the most closely watched antitrust cases in recent years, advising on matters involving complex pricing algorithms, price-fixing, monopolization and market manipulation. In the sports sector, she has worked extensively with clients such as the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, NCAA, the PGA TOUR and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, as well as several individual teams, on a broad spectrum of representations.

Recent matters led by Ms. Lent include:

• Greystar Real Estate Partners, the largest multifamily property management company in the U.S., in securing the resolution of significant antitrust actions involving pricing algorithms. Notably, Greystar reached a settlement with the DOJ in August 2025, and an agreement in principle to resolve claims in a multidistrict class action in Tennessee
• Amadeus Hospitality in securing the dismissal of a class action alleging price-fixing in the luxury hotel market involving Amadeus’ Demand360 product
• Pioneer Natural Resources in leading the defense in multidistrict antitrust litigation alleging a conspiracy among shale oil producers to reduce output following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022
• Sprint Corporation in successfully defending against antitrust claims brought by the attorneys general of 14 states and the District of Columbia to block Sprint and T-Mobile’s proposed $59 billion merger
• Citigroup in numerous matters, including:
  • in securing the dismissal and affirmance in an antitrust class action alleging a conspiracy between several major banks to restrain trade in the U.S. dollar-denominated market for supranational, sub-sovereign and agency bonds in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act
  • and affiliates in persuading the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to uphold an injunction which would prohibit a series of investment funds from pursuing antitrust claims
  • in securing the dismissal of a putative antitrust class action involving corporate bond odd-lot trading
• Columbia University in achieving multiple dismissals and a favorable settlement with regard to significant antitrust class actions alleging Columbia and other universities conspired to restrict athletic scholarships, fix or stabilize financial aid awards (including aid to applicants with noncustodial parents) and improperly consider students’ finances in admissions decisions in violation of federal antitrust law
• PGA TOUR in numerous representations, including securing the dismissal of an antitrust class action filed in alleging collusion with DP World Tour and other entities to unlawfully boycott and restrain competition from LIV Golf
• USA Swimming, Inc. in defending against an antitrust complaint filed by Enhanced US LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in which Enhanced alleged that USA Swimming conspired to decrease competition by preventing participation in the 2026 Enhanced Games
• the NBA in numerous matters, including:
  • in connection with its most recent labor dispute and lockout
  • in connection with the league’s imposition of discipline upon Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling
  • in a litigation, alongside four of the league’s teams, brought by the Spirits of St. Louis regarding the Spirits’ right to receive a portion of the teams’ television revenues
• the NHL in numerous matters, including antitrust issues regarding business operations and in connection with the Phoenix Coyotes’ attempt to relocate the team, out of bankruptcy, despite the league’s objection
• the NFL in numerous matters, including:
  • in the successful dismissal of litigation brought by photographers alleging violations of intellectual property and antitrust laws
  • in a class action brought by retired players alleging negligence in administering prescription painkillers
• the Brooklyn Nets in antitrust lawsuits arising out of the termination of season ticket subscriptions
• Madison Square Garden in advising on various antitrust and sports-related issues
• the NCAA, NBA, NFL, NHL and the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball in their successful suit against the state of New Jersey to prevent the authorization and licensing of gambling on the sports leagues’ events

In recognition of her work, Ms. Lent has been honored by multiple industry outlets, including, among others:

• Global Competition Review as part of its Women in Antitrust list, in addition to being repeatedly recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America and as a Star by Benchmark Litigation
• The National Law Journal as a Sports and Entertainment Trailblazer, Crain’s as one of its Notable Women in the Business of Sports and SportsBusiness Journal as one of its Power Players in Sports Law
• Lawdragon as one of its 500 Leading Lawyers in America, 500 Leading Litigators in America, 500 Leading Global Antitrust & Competition Lawyers and 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers
• the New York Law Journal as a Distinguished Leader. Ms. Lent also authors a monthly NYLJ column on antitrust matters
• Law360 as a Competition/Antitrust MVP and Sports MVP

Outside of her practice, Ms. Lent serves as associate director of the Fordham Competition Law Institute and as a Leadership Fellow at Johns Hopkins University, as well as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Convent of Sacred Heart, the oldest independent all-girls school in New York City. She is also a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Antitrust Committee and previously served as chair of the City Bar’s Sports Law Committee. Ms. Lent actively works on pro bono matters and is a two-time recipient of The Legal Aid Society’s Publico Award.