Verdict . News

•Federal Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of MarketDial and individual defendants on trade secret claims

Federal Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment in APT v. MarketDial Trade Secret Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's summary judgment in favor of MarketDial, Inc. and individual defendants in a trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract dispute with Applied Predictive Technologies, Inc. The nonprecedential decision was issued January 28, 2026.

•APT's breach of contract claim against John Stoddard was also dismissed by the district court

•Federal Circuit affirmed Veterans Court dismissal of Calderon's untimely appeal

Federal Circuit Affirms Veterans Court Dismissal in Calderon Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the dismissal of veteran Joseph L. Calderon's appeal against VA Secretary Douglas A. Collins, ruling that the Veterans Court correctly denied equitable tolling relief for an untimely filed notice of appeal.

•Court ruled equitable tolling relief was properly denied for missed filing deadline

•Federal Circuit denied Google's mandamus petition seeking to force USPTO reconsideration of denied IPR petitions against VirtaMove Corp.'s patent

Federal Circuit Denies Google's Challenge to USPTO Patent Review Standard

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Google LLC's petition for mandamus relief seeking to force the Patent and Trademark Office to reconsider its rejection of inter partes review petitions against VirtaMove Corp.'s patent. The court upheld the USPTO's authority to deny patent challenges based on 'settled expectations' from long-standing patents.

•USPTO had rejected Google's original petitions citing 'settled expectations' from the patent being in force over 14 years

•Federal Circuit affirmed DOD's termination of Diana Z. Kammunkun

Federal Circuit Affirms DOD Employee Termination in MSPB Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Department of Defense's decision to terminate employee Diana Z. Kammunkun, upholding a Merit Systems Protection Board ruling. The nonprecedential decision represents another instance of federal courts backing agency personnel actions in employment disputes.

•Merit Systems Protection Board previously upheld the agency's removal decision

•Federal Circuit reversed Merit Systems Protection Board decision demoting Army civilian employee Marcus Swearengen

Federal Circuit Overturns Army Employee's Demotion for Workplace Disruption

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed a Merit Systems Protection Board decision that demoted Army civilian employee Marcus C. Swearengen, finding insufficient evidence to support charges of creating workplace disruption.

•Court found insufficient evidence to support charges of creating workplace disruption

•Federal Circuit issued nonprecedential decision in patent dispute between Orange Electronic and Autel Technology

Federal Circuit Issues Patent Ruling in Orange Electronic v. Autel

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a nonprecedential decision on January 23, 2026, in a patent infringement dispute between Orange Electronic Co. Ltd. and Autel Intelligent Technology Corp., Ltd. The case involved cross-appeals following a jury verdict and subsequent judgment as a matter of law rulings.

•District court granted judgment as matter of law on noninfringement despite jury finding infringement

•Federal Circuit affirmed Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision favoring University of Washington in patent validity dispute

Federal Circuit Rules for University of Washington in Guardant Patent Fight

The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals issued a nonprecedential decision January 23 in a patent dispute between biotechnology company Guardant Health Inc. and the University of Washington. The case involved an appeal from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board regarding patent validity under obviousness standards.

•Guardant Health challenged legal standards requiring motivation to combine prior art and reasonable expectation of success

•Federal Circuit affirmed dismissal of patent infringement case against Google for failure to state a valid claim

Federal Circuit Affirms Google Win in Patent Appeal Over Web Conferencing

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court's dismissal of patent infringement claims against Google LLC brought by US Patent No. 7,679,637 LLC. The case involved technology related to web conferencing systems with time-shifting capabilities.

•Case involved U.S. Patent No. 7,679,637 covering web conferencing systems with time-shifting capabilities

•Federal Circuit affirmed Merit Systems Protection Board denial of whistleblower retaliation claim

Federal Circuit Affirms MSPB Denial in Interior Whistleblower Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a Merit Systems Protection Board decision denying corrective action in a whistleblower retaliation claim filed by Steven A. McKinnis against the Department of the Interior. McKinnis, an auditor who was terminated in 2018, alleged retaliation after reporting misconduct related to FMLA violations and travel regulations.

•Steven McKinnis was terminated from Interior Department in 2018 for performance issues