Honeywell Internaitional Inc. v. Universal Avionics Systems Corp.

585 F. Supp. 2d 623, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92554, 2008 WL 4874051
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedNovember 12, 2008
DocketC.A. 02-359-MPT
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 585 F. Supp. 2d 623 (Honeywell Internaitional Inc. v. Universal Avionics Systems Corp.) 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
Honeywell Internaitional Inc. v. Universal Avionics Systems Corp., 585 F. Supp. 2d 623, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92554, 2008 WL 4874051 (D. Del. 2008).

Opinion

*626 MEMORANDUM OPINION

THYNGE, United States Magistrate Judge.

Procedural Background

This patent infringement action involves technology in the aviation industry. The parties are competitors in the market for terrain awareness warning systems. Honeywell International Inc. 1 and Honeywell Intellectual Properties, Inc. (“HIPI”) 2 (collectively, “Honeywell”) manufacture and sell a terrain awareness and warning system, the “Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System” or “EGPWS.” Since February 29, 2000, Universal Avionics Systems Corp. (“Universal”) 3 manufactures and sells its terrain awareness and warning system, otherwise known as “TAWS.” Sandel Avionics, Inc. (“Sandel”) 4 manufactures and sells a terrain awareness and warning system, the “ST3400 TAWS/ RMI.”

Honeywell began this action (Honeywell I) on May 10, 2002 seeking monetary recovery and injunctive relief for alleged willful infringement of five patents-in-suit: U.S. Patent Nos. 5,839,080 (“'080 patent”), 6,122,570 (“'570 patent”), 6,219,592 (“'592 patent”), 6,092,009 (“'009 patent”) and 6,138,060 (“'060 patent”) against Sandel and Universal. Sandel and Universal answered the complaint and raised affirmative defenses and counterclaims for declaratory relief that the patents-in-suit are invalid and not infringed and that inequitable conduct occurred.

Subsequently, in March 2003, Honeywell initiated another action (Honeywell II) against Universal and Sandel based upon a different TAWS-related patent, the '436 patent. Thereafter, Honeywell requested that the second action be consolidated with the first, which Universal and Sandel opposed. The court denied Honeywell’s motion in May 2003.

As a result of claim construction and motion practice in Honeywell I, the issues left for trial in this case were certain invalidity defenses, 5 unenforceability due to inequitable conduct, violation of the clean hands doctrine raised by Sandel and the commercial counterclaims asserted by Universal.

Thereafter, the parties agreed to a bench trial for the remaining issues. Universal and Sandel assumed the role of plaintiffs for trial. A seven day bench trial was conducted in November 2003. After post-trial briefing, the court determined that the challenged claims of the patents-in-suit were not invalid or unenforceable due to inequitable conduct and denied Sandel’s counterclaim under the clean hands doctrine and Universal’s commercial counterclaims.

Subsequently, Honeywell appealed contesting issues of claim construction, infringement, and subject matter jurisdiction. Universal and Sandel cross-appealed *627 on the court’s denial of on-sale and public use bar. In addition, Sandel appealed the court’s decision that Honeywell did not commit inequitable conduct. Universal similarly appealed the denial of its commercial counterclaims. The Federal Circuit vacated claim construction for certain terms and remanded the matter for a new infringement determination. That court also affirmed this court’s retention of jurisdiction over the withdrawn claims and the decision that 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) does not erect a bar. In addition, the Federal Circuit affirmed this court’s decision of no inequitable conduct and denial of Universal’s commercial counterclaims.

After the matter was remanded, Honeywell withdrew all infringement allegations regarding the '009 and '060 patents and certain claims of the other three patents-in-suit. As a result, the claims presently being asserted by Honeywell are only claim 1 of the '080 patent, claim 1 of the '570 patent and claim 1 of the '592 patent (collectively the “080 patents”).

This memorandum opinion addresses Universal and Sandel’s joint motion seeking to preclude Honeywell from relitigating its lost profits theory and Universal’s motion to prevent Honeywell from seeking an impermissible double recovery on its TAWS sales.

Factual Background

As noted previously herein, Honeywell II was filed approximately ten months after Honeywell I. Honeywell II accuses the same terrain awareness and warning systems made and/or sold by Universal and Sandel of infringement as in Honeywell I, but the infringement alleged is of a different TAWS-related patent, the '436 patent. In both actions, Honeywell relied upon the same damage expert, Ms. Julie Davis, who prepared separate reports in each case regarding Universal and Sandel. In other words, a total of four damage reports by Davis were submitted in the cases. Each of the Davis reports discusses lost profits and a reasonable royalty, with each asserted to be an appropriate measure of damages.

Because of the court’s determination of non-infringement in Honeywell I, damages were not tried in that matter. In Honeywell II, however, Honeywell presented its lost profits analysis to the jury. The jury returned a verdict against Universal finding that its TAWS product infringed the '436 patent and awarded Honeywell reasonably royalty damages in the amount of $5,448,000. The jury did not award any lost profits. The jury also returned a verdict in favor of Sandel, finding that its TAWS device did not infringe the '436 patent. On January 21, 2005, about six weeks after the verdict, this court entered judgment against Universal and in favor of Sandel based upon the Honeywell II jury’s verdict.

Discussion

Standard of Review-Summary Judgment

Summary Judgment is appropriate if the “pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” 6 Once there has been adequate time for discovery, Rule 56(c) mandates judgment against the party that “fails to make a sufficient showing to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” 7 When a party fails to make such a showing, “there can be no ‘genuine issue as to any material fact’ since a complete fail *628 ure of proof concerning an essential element of the nonmoving party’s case necessarily renders all other facts immaterial.” 8 The moving party is therefore entitled to judgment as a matter of law because “the nonmoving party has failed to make a sufficient showing on an essential element of her case with respect to which she has the burden of proof.” 9

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585 F. Supp. 2d 623, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92554, 2008 WL 4874051, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/honeywell-internaitional-inc-v-universal-avionics-systems-corp-ded-2008.