Susman Godfrey won a $226 million fraud verdict and judgment for Dillard's against software vendor I2 Technologies. The $239 million jury verdict was one of the Top Ten Jury Verdicts in the United States last year.
Susman Godfrey LLP took over defense of a trade secret misappropriations case just eight weeks before trial. Virtually no discovery had been taken. The trial team worked around the clock to obtain formal and informal discovery. Within five weeks, the firm obtained dismissal of one of the two claims asserted against the client and positioned the case to be tried. The case settled on confidential terms two weeks before trial.
Susman Godfrey currently represents FLOORgraphics, Inc. (FGI), a pioneering in-store marketing company, in a dispute against competitor News America Marketing In-Store. The suit alleges that News America interfered with FGI's customers and clients through false statements and publications, by illegally accessing FGI's password-protected client website to steal confidential information, and by various other anti-competitive practices, such as orchestrating a simultaneous departure of its top sales force to work for News America. The case is pending before Judge Anne E. Thompson in the District of New Jersey.
Susman Godfrey secured a $30.5 million jury verdict in a trade-secret misappropriation case on behalf of its client, California-based UniRAM Technology, Inc. UniRAM alleged at trial that defendant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC) had misappropriated UniRAM's trade secrets relating to the design of specialized computer memory devices known as "embedded DRAM." The jury's verdict came after a two-week trial in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, before Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker. On April 14, 2008, after a bench trial, Chief Judge Walker rejected TSMC's counterclaim alleging that UniRAM had engaged in inequitable conduct in the prosecution of its patent.
Susman Godfrey was hired by Emisphere Technologies, Inc., a New Jersey-based biotechnology company which was already engaged in litigation with pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly & Company in federal court in Indiana. Emisphere and Lilly had entered into a research collaboration involving the development of an orally administered form of parathyroid hormone. Emisphere asserted claims against Lilly for breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets related to Emisphere's confidential technology. Susman Godfrey was hired less than a year before the scheduled trial date and with less than a month remaining in the discovery period.
Susman Godfrey promptly obtained an extension of the discovery deadline, engaged in rapid document discovery, and took numerous depositions of Lilly employees. The case was successfully settled in late 2007.
Susman Godfrey represented ABB Lummus Global Inc. in a lawsuit filed by FMC Technologies, Inc. FMC alleged, among other things, that ABB Lummus Global had stolen FMC's trade secrets. FMC sought $90 million in damages. On July 22, 2005, the Court granted a motion for summary judgment filed by Susman Godfrey and dismissed FMC's trade secrets claim in full.
Susman Godfrey successfully represented SimDesk Technologies against First Genesis in a suit alleging misappropriation of trade secrets relating to SimDesk's proprietary server-side applications and server-client communications protocol. Susman Godfrey obtained a temporary restraining order and, after a bench trial, an injunction barring First Genesis from using the software and system at issue.
Susman Godfrey was retained six weeks before trial to defend Medtronic, the nation's foremost developer and manufacturer of pacemakers, against antitrust, civil conspiracy, unfair competition, trade secrets and other tort and breach of contract claims brought by a competitor from whom Medtronic hired several key employees. Susman Godfrey settled the case on confidential terms favorable to Medtronic.
