with the help of high-priced talent from such firms as Goodmans LLP". In a 2007 National Post article, Apotex revealed that it spent roughly $60-million a year on legal fees, both in defense of the company and working toward expanding the number of generics on the market. Regulatory issues Apotex received a warning letter from the FDA regarding its Etobicoke plant on June 25, 2009 for good manufacturing practice (GMP) violations. It also received a warning letter citing similar GMP violations in the Signet plant on March 29, 2010. The FDA issued an import ban on all drugs manufactured at these two plants and prevented the company from seeking new marketing authorizations in the US on August 28, 2009. The import ban was subsequently lifted on May 6, 2011. On February 29, 2012, Apotex filed a claim to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes seeking arbitration with the US. In the filing, Apotex cited unfair treatment by FDA which constituted a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Apotex further claimed that the action of FDA 'decimated its business'. On August 26, 2014, NAFTA tribunal rejected Apotex's claim. FDA inspected the same plants again in 2013 and issued warning letters for more problems. In April 2014, FDA banned a manufacturing plant owned by Apotex in Bangalore, India. In the warning letter, FDA indicated that the plant routinely deleted failed test results and replaced with retest results that passed. FDA found that the violations are systemic and were dated back for many years, having the same issues noted in past inspections since 2006. As of September, 2018 Apotex remains in violation of Current GMPs required by the FDA. Fines for price-fixing In 2020, the US DOJ fined Apotex $24,100,000 for colluding with other pharmaceutical companies to price fix—raising costs of vital drugs for users who needed its cholesterol medicine. In the words of Special Agent in Charge Scott Pierce: "When generic drug companies conspire to fix prices and rig bids, they do so to the detriment of many who depend on these medications to maintain good health". In the words of U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain, "Compromising the health and welfare of innocent people by artificially inflating the price of a much needed medication is not only morally wrong, but illegal. Preying on the public in this manner for the sake of financial gain is something that