Verizon wins bid for new trial after $847 mln wireless patent verdict

Oct 1 - Verizon (VZ.N) has convinced a federal judge in Texas to throw out an $847 million patent verdict and hold a new trial on allegations that the telecom giant infringes patents covering wireless communications technology.

U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap said on Monday that the jury's ruling for patent owner General Access Solutions was "against the great weight of the evidence" and ordered a new trial on all aspects of the case.

Attorneys for GAS and attorneys and a spokesperson for Verizon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Dallas-based GAS sued Verizon in 2022, arguing that the telecom company's 5G wireless base stations, mobile phones, hotspots and wireless routers violate its patent rights in technology developed by startup WestEnd Broadband in the early 2000s. A jury in Marshall, Texas determined in June that Verizon infringed two GAS patents and awarded it $847 million in damages.

Verizon argued in September that a new trial was necessary for "numerous reasons," including the court's exclusion of relevant evidence, misinterpretation of the patents and errors in the verdict form.

Gilstrap said on Monday that he was "persuaded that the issues raised by Verizon are both substantial and fairly warrant a new trial on the entire case, including the issues of infringement, invalidity, and damages."

The new trial is set to begin on December 6.

The case is General Access Solutions Ltd v. Verizon Wireless, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No. 2:22-cv-00394.