C R Bard Inc. v. AngioDynamics Inc.

382 F. Supp. 3d 332
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedApril 25, 2019
Docket1:15CV218
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 382 F. Supp. 3d 332 (C R Bard Inc. v. AngioDynamics Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
C R Bard Inc. v. AngioDynamics Inc., 382 F. Supp. 3d 332 (D. Del. 2019).

Opinion

Joseph F. Bataillon, Senior United States District Judge

This matter is before the Court following plaintiff's presentation of its case at trial. At the end of plaintiff's case, the Court listened to motions and arguments from the parties. The Court determined that plaintiff C.R. Bard Inc. (hereinafter "Bard") had not presented sufficient evidence regarding its claims and, therefore, issued a judgment as a matter of law pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 50(a) at the close of plaintiff's case. The Court made some findings on the record but also told counsel it would follow up with a written memorandum and order and a judgment. Prior to the filing of this Court's memorandum and order, the plaintiff filed an appeal of the rulings this Court made at the close of the plaintiff's case in chief for infringement. With this memorandum and order, the Court enters judgment, and any deadline for appeal of the Court's rulings shall be calculated from this date.

I. BACKGROUND

Bard filed its original application on April 25, 2006; it's '417 patent on July 2, 2013; it's '460 patent on October 1, 2013; and its '478 patent, the method patent, on August 12, 2014.1 D.I. 192, See Exs. 1-3.2 The United States Patent Office permitted Bard to patent its "means of identification" concept, and it also issued Bard's method patent. At issue in this infringement action is a port which is a power injection port, with an identifiable feature by x-ray, and an identifiable feature that is separate for the device.

AngioDynamics, Inc. (hereinafter "Angio") filed with the Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter "FDA") in August of 2006 and used Bard as a predicate device. Angio received approval from the FDA. First approval included a round port with a sticker and a hospital wrist band, and there were no indicators that the port was power injectable. However, there was a problem identifying the type of port after insertion. Thereafter, Angio developed the scalloped shape device and it is radiographic.3

*334This case has lingered in the district court since 2015. The parties have hotly disputed discovery, legal issues, two claims construction orders and multiple motions for summary judgment. In the interim, administrative hearings and appeals were taken including a decision in the Federal Circuit. Bard contends the infringing products include a scallop shape and/or a radiopaque CT marking and extraneous identification materials.

II. LAW

Judgment as a matter of law is appropriate if "the court finds that a reasonable jury would not have a legally sufficient evidentiary basis to find for [a] party" on an issue. Fed. R. Civ. P. 50(a)(1).4 "Entry of judgment as a matter of law is a 'sparingly' invoked remedy, granted only if, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmovant and giving it the advantage of every fair and reasonable inference, there is insufficient evidence from which a jury reasonably could find liability." Marra v. Phila. Hous. Auth. , 497 F.3d 286, 300 (3d Cir. 2007) (citation omitted).

The District Court in DiSalvio stated:

JMOL, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50, is appropriate only where, as a matter of law, there is not by sufficient evidence to allow a reasonable juror to arrive at a contrary verdict. See Link v. Mercedes-Benz , 788 F.2d 918, 921 (3d Cir.1986). In making the determination to grant JMOL, the court must find that as a matter of law, "the record is critically deficient of the minimum quantity of evidence from which the jury might reasonably afford relief." Simone v. Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino , 844 F.2d 1031, 1034 (3d Cir.1988). The party opposing JMOL is entitled to the benefit of all reasonable inferences that can be drawn from the evidence in order to determine whether there is any rational basis for the verdict. See Bhaya v. Westinghouse Elec. Co. [Corp. ], 832 F.2d 258, 259 (3d Cir.1987). JMOL is only appropriate when there is no evidence or reasonable inference that can be drawn supporting the verdict. See SCNO Barge Lines, Inc. v. Anderson Clayton & Co. , 745 F.2d 1188, 1192-93 (8th Cir.1984).

DiSalvio v. Lower Merion Sch. Dist. , CIV.A. 00-5463, 2002 WL 734343, at *1 (E.D. Pa. Apr. 25, 2002). JMOL is appropriate when "a party has been fully heard on an issue and there is no legally sufficient evidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to find for that party on that issue."

*335Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(a)(1) (2002). Hence, a grant of JMOL on an issue is improper if a reasonable jury could find for the nonmoving party on that issue. Doyle v. Crain Indus., Inc. , 49 Fed. Appx. 920, 922 (Fed. Cir. 2002).

III. DISCUSSION

At the close of plaintiff's case, Angio moved for judgment as a matter of law of non-infringement on three separate grounds pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P 50(a).5 For the purpose of its ruling, the Court considers the evidence presented during the plaintiff's case in chief and the evidence produced in the context of the multiple motions for summary judgment filed by both parties.6 Throughout the exhausting motion practice for this case, the Court gave the plaintiff the benefit of the doubt, relying on the weight of evidence that may be provided by the plaintiff's expert witness. After the plaintiff presented its evidence about its alleged invention and infringement, the Court finds the defendant's position is correct as a matter of law. Fundamentally, after listening to the evidence presented to the jury and considering the evidence for the previous motions for summary judgment, the Court finds this patent is about labeling, not invention and not technology. Praxair Distrib., Inc. v. Mallinckrodt Hosp. Prod. IP Ltd.

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Related

C R Bard Inc. v. Angiodynamics, Inc.
979 F.3d 1372 (Federal Circuit, 2020)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
382 F. Supp. 3d 332, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/c-r-bard-inc-v-angiodynamics-inc-ded-2019.