Facts

Plaintiff CH2O Inc. was a company that provided treatment products for water storage and delivery. It sued defendants for patent infringement relating to its patent entitled "Method for Cleaning and Maintaining Water Delivery Systems." Houweling's Nurseries Oxnard Inc., a tomato grower, was a client of plaintiff's and Meras Engineering Inc., a provider of water treatment solutions, provided technical support and products to Houweling's.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
Plaintiff contended that Meras hired away several of plaintiff's employees to expand its business. It argued that the technical support and products Meras provided to Houweling's and Houweling's practice of that method constituted infringement of plaintiff's patent.

DEFENDANTS' CONTENTIONS:
Houweling denied it infringed the patent, that it uses a water disinfection technology that predates the patent in issue by decades, and uses it in irrigation water having a chemistry that also predates the patent in issue by decades. Defendants collectively claimed the patent to be invalid.

Result

The jury found defendants willfully infringed plaintiff's patent and awarded it $12.5 million in damages.

Other Information

FILING DATE: Nov. 14, 2013.