Vehicle IP, LLC v. AT & T Mobility LLC

227 F. Supp. 3d 319, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181745, 2016 WL 7647522
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedDecember 30, 2016
DocketC.A. No. 09-1007-LPS
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 227 F. Supp. 3d 319 (Vehicle IP, LLC v. AT & T Mobility LLC) 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
Vehicle IP, LLC v. AT & T Mobility LLC, 227 F. Supp. 3d 319, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181745, 2016 WL 7647522 (D. Del. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

STARK, U.S. District Judge:

I. BACKGROUND

Vehicle IP, LLC (“Vehicle IP” or “Plaintiff”) filed suit against Telecommunication Systems, Inc., Networks in Motion, Inc., and Célico Partnership (collectively, “TCS Defendants”) and against Defendants AT & T Mobility LLC and Telenav, Inc. (collectively, “Telenav Defendants” and, together with TCS Defendants, hereinafter “Defendants”), alleging infringement of claims 4-6, 8, 9, 15-17, 19, 21, 25, 27, 28, 30, and 32 of U.S. Patent No. 5,987,377. (D.I. 1; D.I. 377 Ex. B at 2) The ’377 [323]*323patent describes and claims systems and methods for determining an expected time of arrival of a vehicle equipped with a mobile unit using a dispatch remotely located from the vehicle. (See ’377 patent col. 111. 52-65)

The parties filed motions to exclude certain expert testimony and motions for summary judgment. The Court heard oral argument on the pending motions on September 7, 2016. (D.I. 515) A jury trial involving Vehicle IP and the Telenav Defendants is scheduled to begin on February 13, 2017, while a jury trial involving Vehicle IP and the TCS Defendants is scheduled to begin on July 24, 2017.

For the reasons stated below, the Court will grant the TCS Defendants’ motion for summary judgment of no willful infringement and deny all of the other motions addressed in this Opinion.

II. LEGAL STANDARDS

A. Motions to Exclude

In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 597, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993), the Supreme Court explained that Federal Rule of Evidence 702 creates “a gatekeeping role for the [trial] judge” in order to “ensur[e] that an expert’s testimony both rests on a reliable foundation and is relevant to the task at hand.” Rule 702(a) requires that expert testimony “help the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue.” Expert testimony is admissible only if “the testimony is based on sufficient facts or data,” “the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods,” and “the expert has reliably applied the principles and methods to the facts of the case.” Fed. R. Evid. 702(b)-(d).

There are three distinct requirements for proper expert testimony: (1) the expert must be qualified; (2) the opinion must be reliable; and (3) the expert’s opinion must relate to the facts. See Elcock v. Kmart Corp., 233 F.3d 734, 741 (3d Cir. 2000).

B. Summary Judgment

Pursuant to Rule 56(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, “[t]he court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” The moving party bears the burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. See Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co., Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 585-86, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). An assertion that a fact cannot be—or, alternatively, is—genuinely disputed must be supported either by “citing to particular parts of materials in the record, including depositions, documents, electronically stored information, affidavits or declarations, stipulations (including those made for purposes of the motion only), admissions, interrogatory answers, or other materials,” or by “showing that the materials cited do not establish the absence or presence of a genuine dispute, or that an adverse party cannot produce admissible evidence to support the fact.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1)(A) & (B). If the moving party has carried its burden, the nohmovant must then “come forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348 (internal quotation marks omitted). The Court will “draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party, and it may not make credibility determinations or weigh the evidence.” Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 150, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000).

To defeat a motion for summary judgment, the nonmoving party must “do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 586, 106 S.Ct. [324]*3241348; see also Podobnik v. U.S. Postal Serv., 409 F.3d 584, 594 (3d Cir. 2005) (stating party opposing summary judgment “must present more than just bare assertions, conclusory allegations or suspicions to show the existence of a genuine issue”) (internal quotation marks omitted). The “mere existence of some alleged factual dispute between the parties will not defeat an otherwise properly supported motion for summary judgment;” a factual dispute is genuine only where “the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). “If the evidence is merely colorable, or is not significantly probative, summary judgment may be granted.” Id. at 249-50, 106 S.Ct. 2505 (internal citations omitted); see also Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) (stating entry of summary judgment is mandated “against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient 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”). Thus, the “mere existence of a scintilla of evidence” in support of the nonmoving party’s position is insufficient to defeat a motion for summary judgment; there must be “evidence on which the jury could reasonably find” for the nonmoving party. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 252, 106 S.Ct. 2505.

C. Motion to Stay

Whether or not to stay litigation is a matter left to the Court’s discretion. See Dentsply Int’l, Inc. v. Kerr Mfg. Co., 734 F.Supp. 656, 658 (D. Del. 1990) (citing Bechtel Corp. v. Laborers’ Int’l Union, 544 F.2d 1207, 1215 (3d Cir. 1976)). In exercising this discretion, the Court must weigh the competing interests of the parties. See Landis v. N. Am. Co., 299 U.S. 248, 255, 57 S.Ct.

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227 F. Supp. 3d 319, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181745, 2016 WL 7647522, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vehicle-ip-llc-v-at-t-mobility-llc-ded-2016.