Divided Federal Circuit Disallows Recovery Of Interest As Damages
Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 10.14.04
Under the "a rose is a rose by any other name" theory, Judge Dyk for the majority in England v. Contel Advanced Systems, Inc. (Oct. 6, 2004) found the ASBCA had improperly granted interest as damages to the contractor when the Navy breached its obligation to reduce the contract price and so the contractor had had to borrow an inflated amount in order to perform. Judge Newman in dissent pointed out that the "no interest" rule dictated by sovereign immunity applies only when interest is requested on other damages, not when the basic damage itself is payment of interest.
Insights
Client Alert | 2 min read | 11.14.25
Claim construction is a key stage of most patent litigations, where the court must decide the meaning of any disputed terms in the patent claims. Generally, claim terms are given their plain and ordinary meaning except under two circumstances: (1) when the patentee acts as its own lexicographer and sets out a definition for the term; and (2) when the patentee disavows the full scope of the term either in the specification or during prosecution. Thorner v. Sony Comput. Ent. Am. LLC, 669 F.3d 1362, 1365 (Fed. Cir. 2012). The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Aortic Innovations LLC v. Edwards Lifesciences Corp. highlights that patentees can act as their own lexicographers through consistent, interchangeable usage of terms across the specification, effectively defining terms by implication.
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.14.25
Microplastics Update: Regulatory and Litigation Developments in 2025
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.13.25
