|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
JURY VERDICT OVERTURNED IN FAVOR OF BECKMAN
Irvine, California, June 2004 - Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP, is pleased to announce that its client, Beckman Coulter, Inc. of Fullerton, California has prevailed after a jury trial conducted back in September 2001. The federal court in Trenton, New Jersey recently found for Beckman, coincidentally just weeks following the death of the company's founder, Dr. Arnold Beckman, at the age of 104.
Noberto Guzman sued Beckman claiming he had invented an automated machine for separating chemicals, using a laboratory technique to detect proteins and enzymes. Guzman claimed he had invented the device while a graduate student at Rutgers University back in 1986. However, Knobbe Martens Olson and Bear, led by Joseph Re, a litigation partner, proved Beckman was actually the first inventor. He convinced the court that that Guzman had no evidence to prove his alleged invention dates while Beckman did. Moreover, the court agreed that Guzman's documentary evidence was altered and that his undated prototypes were improperly withheld during discovery. In addition, the court held Beckman never could have infringed the patent even if it were valid.
"The trial was difficult, because it was interrupted due to the attacks on September 11, 2001." said Joseph R. Re, a litigation partner at Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear and Beckman's lead trial attorney. "Under the circumstances, it was impossible to keep the attention of the jury. But I was confident the judge understood the case."
The trial attorneys who presented Beckman's case before the jury included Darrell L. Olson and Douglas M. Muehlhauser, along with Mr. Re, partners in the Irvine office of Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear.
With over 160 attorneys throughout California, Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP represents clients in all areas of intellectual property law and litigation. Clients include public and private companies at various stages of growth, from start-up to the Fortune 500. Founded in 1962, the firm is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States.
© 2008 Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP a Limited Liability Partnership including Professional Corporations. Site Map