Judge nixes alleged settlement in Stryker, Biomet poaching spat
July 23, 2014 by Brad Perriello
A federal judge in Michigan yesterday shot down a settlement alleged by Biomet in a poaching spat with Stryker (NYSE:SYK) and a pair of former sales representatives.
Stryker sued orthopedics rival Biomet last year, accusing it of a scheme to poach reps and business from Stryker in Louisiana and New York. Christopher Ridgeway and Richard Steitzer allegedly conspired with Biomet in the scheme, according to the September 2013 lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for Western Michigan. Steitzer quit in June 2013 to work for Biomet; Stryker fired Ridgeway Sept. 10 of that year, according to the lawsuit, after discovering that he was allegedly running a pair of medical supply businesses on the side. Read more
Boston Scientific loses bids to exclude testimony in pelvic mesh trials
July 22, 2014 by Brad Perriello
Boston Scientific yesterday lost its bids to exclude testimony from a urogynecologist and a regulatory expert in the multi-district litigation over its pelvic mesh products.
Judge Joseph Goodwin of the U.S. District Court for Southern West Virginia denied both motions to exclude as moot, but declined to elaborate on his reasons, according to court documents. Read more
Occlutech claims another win over St. Jude Medical
July 23, 2014 by Brad Perriello
Occlutech said today that it won another legal victory over St. Jude Medical in a long-running patent war that pre-dates St. Jude’s 2010 buyout of AGA Medical.
Jena, Germany-based Occlutech said the U.K. Patents Court in the High Court of Justice ruled invalid a St. Jude patent covering “Percutaneous catheter-directed intravascular occlusion devices.” Read more
Align Tech declares a 'total win' as federal circuit reverses ITC ruling
July 21, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani
Dental devices maker Align Technology touted a Federal Circuit Court ruling issued this month, calling it a “total win for Align.”
The ruling overturns a 2013 decision made by the International Trade Commission and allows Align to move forward with its lawsuit accusing ClearCorrect and its partners of infringing on technologies used to create the custom-fitted Invisalign dental alignment devices. Read more
Report: Medtronic shareholder sues to block Covidien merger
July 24, 2014 by Brad Perriello
A Medtronic shareholder is suing in a Minnesota state court to block the pending, $43 billion merger with Covidien (NYSE:COV), claiming that the deal leaves shareholders on the hook for significant tax liabilities.
Plaintiff Lewis Merenstein sued in Hennepin County District Court July 2, arguing that the proposed merger’s conversion of Medtronic stock into the new stock of the combined company “will result in a substantial loss to Medtronic shareholders,” the St. Cloud Times reported. Read more