Christine Woodin

Christine Woodin has learned a great deal about cellular technology and the 4G and 5G standards by representing Ericsson Inc. in a number of matters. It’s knowledge that she finds is important in trial.

“The fact that you’re interested in the technology and can understand it and work with the experts on it comes across to juries, and that ends up being persuasive,” Woodin said.

But she enjoys working on cases involving patents in many different areas. “Right now, I’m working on cases ranging from medical devices … to even just patents on machines.”

She also is part of the team representing online dating apps in multidistrict litigation over Google’s dominance of Android app sales, and she is comanaging recent breach of contract litigation against a Chinese supplier of modules for solar panels.

Recently, Woodin was instrumental in settling a six-year-old breach of contract action on the eve of trial between Beyond Meat on behalf of a former co-manufacturer. Hueston Hennigan had been brought on late. Don Lee Farms v. Savage River Inc., BC662838 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed May 25, 2017).

The trial was expected to last six weeks with potentially more than 60 witnesses. Woodiin “was completely responsible for preparing the case for trial and handling all the pretrial issues,” she said. The settlement announced on Oct. 18 also ended related federal litigation.

A couple of months later, she helped bring in a mid-trial settlement of a patent infringement lawsuit for Ericsson against Apple. The settlement brought an end to more than 50 actions between the two companies around the world. Ericsson Inc. v. Apple Inc., 2:21-cv-00376 (E.D. Tex., filed Oct. 4, 2021).

During the trial, Woodin put on an Ericsson inventor as a witness “to explain to the jury … why the [standard] essential patents that Ericsson has are so essential to the 5G standard,” she said. “And also why you should care about the 5G standard versus the 4G standard.”

Two months ago, the firm was brought in close to trial to defend a patent action about artificial heart valves. Woodin is helping represent medical device company Medtronic and its catheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, device. Speyside Medical LLC v. Medtronic Corevalve LLC, 1:20-cv-00361 (D. Del., filed March 13, 2020).

“It’s been really interesting diving into the TAVR technology, which is obviously very different than cellular patents,” she said.

— Don DeBenedictis