(Dallas, Texas) May 27, 2004 — In one of the largest patent cases ever litigated in the Northern District of Texas, a federal jury Thursday ruled that Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. did not infringe a lighting controls patent owned by Genlyte Thomas Group, LLC. In addition, the jury found that Genlyte's patent was invalid.
The jury heard more than three weeks of testimony, but took only three hours to find unanimously in favor of Lutron, a Cooperburg, Pennsylvania-based company. The plaintiffs sought more than $185 million in damages. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade presided over the trial.
Leading the Lutron defense team were Vinson & Elkins' Dallas litigation partner Bill Sims and of counsel Scott Breedlove. They were assisted in the case by Dallas partner Tom Leatherbury, Washington, D.C. partners John Faust and Jack Taurman. Also assisting were V&E; lawyers Anthony Miller, Frank Brame, Dan Kelly, Scott Wiehle in Dallas, and Charles Stormont in Washington, DC.
The jury unanimously rejected Genlyte's allegations that Lutron's GRAFIK EYE products and systems infringed Genlyte's patent. The jury also found that Genlyte's patents were invalid on four separate grounds.
If you have any questions regarding the case, please contact Bill Sims at (214) 220-7703 or via email at bsims@velaw.com. Or you may contact Mark Curriden at Vinson & Elkins at (214) 220-7879 or via email at mcurriden@velaw.com. | 
