Lisa Glasser

As an intellectual property litigator, Glasser faces a full trial schedule as pandemic court closures ease and long-delayed cases get back before judges and juries.

Her clients include the United Services Automobile Association, Glaukos Corp., the City of Pomona, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy Synthes Inc., Arizona State University’s IP management entity Skysong Innovations LLC, PanOptis Wireless Technology LLC and others.

First up will be her role as co-counsel for the City of Pomona in an Aug. 3 courtroom rematch over claims that a defendant contaminated the city’s water supply with the toxic chemical perchlorate. Irell was brought on for the new trial after the city won an appellate reversal of an earlier jury verdict in favor of the defendant. City of Pomona v. SQM North America Corp., 18-55733 (9th Cir., op. filed Feb. 6, 2020).

In September, Glasser will represent ophthalmic medical technology and pharmaceutical company Glaukos Corp. in a patent infringement trial in its long-running showdown with a rival. Glaukos Corp. v. Ivantis Inc., 8:18-cv-00620 (C.D. Cal., filed April 14, 2018). The dispute has featured intense pretrial litigation over micro-invasive glaucoma surgery technology involving Glaukos’ iStent products, devices so tiny they are barely visible without a microscope. Glaukos alleges that Ivantis’ competing product infringed two of Glaukos’ patents.

The stakes are high for the defendant: a federal appellate panel hearing an interlocutory appeal quoted Ivantis as saying that if Glaukos prevails, Ivantis could owe more money than it is worth. Even so, Glasser persuaded the panel to allow a jury instruction that Ivantis destroyed evidence that is assumed to have been favorable to Glaukos. In re: Ivantis Inc., 2020-147 (Fed. Cir., op. filed Nov. 3, 2020).

She has another trial for USAA next March against a bank over patents related to USAA’s remote deposit capture technology. United Services Automobile Association v. PNC Bank N.A., 2:20-cv-00319 (E.D. Tex., filed Sept. 30, 2020).

“We feel very fortunate to be in an industry that’s thriving and can support clients with innovative products,” Glasser said.

— John Roemer