For the first time in years, intellectual property cases contributed no billion-dollar jury verdicts in 2013. In fact, IP recoveries decreased significantly both in number and in dollar amount when compared with 2012. The decrease in IP verdicts could reflect judges’ interpretation of recent rulings by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that make it harder to prove damages, according to plaintiff-side lawyers.
Antitrust Topples IP For Largest Awards
The top verdict in the country came in antitrust law: A $1.2 billion award against The Dow Chemical Co. in a case involving price-fixing of urethane. That outcome pushed antitrust awards to the No. 1 category, last year topping out at nearly $1.5 billion.
‘Snoozer’ Trial Yields Biggest Verdict
The jurors may have been bored to tears by the trial, but they delivered a whopping $400 million award to the plaintiffs in an antitrust action against Dow Chemical.
CHART: TOP VERDICTS OF 2013
The National Law Journal’s VerdictSearch affiliate scoured the nation’s court records in search of the previous year’s biggest verdicts.
