Chief Judges Leonard P. Stark and Christopher S. Sontchi have announced procedures for protecting the public and court employees from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Chief Judges stated that the District Court and Bankruptcy Court will, if practicable and efficient, conduct conferences and hearings telephonically. Additionally, if practitioners believe they have come into contact with someone displaying symptoms of, or tested positively for, COVID-19, the practitioner should inform the respective Court immediately. The Court will promptly consider a request to change a co ..read more

The District of Delaware today announced the selection of Jennifer L. Hall to become a United States Magistrate Judge. Ms. Hall will fill the fourth Magistrate Judge seat in the District of Delaware, which was recently created by the Judicial Conference of the United States. Ms. Hall has been selected after a process that included screening dozens of applications, and she will begin later this year after completion of an FBI background investigation. Ms. Hall has served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware for eight years, and currently serves as the Chief of the ..read more

In a Memorandum Order unsealed on February 19, Chief Judge Stark addressed disputes over Plaintiff Onyx’s privilege log. Before making rulings on specific documents reviewed in camera, Judge Stark ruled generally as to the extent of the applicable privilege. Judge Stark first recognized that the Federal Circuit has recognized a privilege between non-attorney patent agents and their clients, but that such a privilege is narrow. Onyx Therapeutics, Inc. v. Cipla Limited, C.A. No. 16-988-LPS, Memo. Or. at 3 (D. Del. Feb. 15, 2019) (citing In re Queen’s U at Kingston, 820 F.3d 1287, 1301-02 (Fed. C ..read more

This Report and Recommendation by Magistrate Judge Burke addresses a factual scenario that may apply in several cases in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in SAS Inst. Inc. v. Iancu, 138 S.Ct. 1348 (2018). In November 2012, Plaintiff PDI filed infringement actions in the District of Delaware alleging infringement of one patent-in-suit. Defendants in the infringement actions filed three petitions for inter partes review of certain claims of the patent-in-suit. The PTAB instituted review on certain claims of certain IPR petitions with the net result that claims 14, 19, and 20 of the paten ..read more

Today the District of Delaware issued a Public Notice and Order regarding its anticipated continued operations during the federal government shutdown. Per the Public Notice, funds are only available to maintain normal operations of the District Court through next Friday, January 25. As the Court has determined that all its judicial officers and staff are essential personnel, after that day all District of Delaware employees will continue to report to work. The operations of the Clerk’s Office, including the acceptance and processing of new civil and criminal cases, will also remain in effect ..read more

In September 2017, Chief Judge Stark denied a motion filed by Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. (MPI) to dismiss for lack of proper venue in light of TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC, 137 S. Ct. 1514, 1519 (2017). That dismissal was without prejudice because Judge Stark found that he could not determine whether venue was proper on the record before him. Accordingly, the Court ordered expedited, venue-related discovery into whether MPI had a “regular and established place of business,” as required by 28 U.S.C. § 1400(b). After expedited discovery, including three hearings of various di ..read more

Today the Court has released an announcement regarding the assignment of existing and new cases to District Judges and a modified plan for the utilization of magistrate judges. The announcement is available here ..read more

The United States District Court for the District of Delaware today released the following announcement: District of Delaware Welcomes Judges Connolly and Noreika The United States District Court for the District of Delaware is pleased to welcome the Honorable Colm F. Connolly and the Honorable Maryellen Noreika as United States District Court Judges. Judge Connolly and Judge Noreika both took the oath of office this week. They become the 26th and 27th individuals in the history of the Court to be appointed as District Judges. The new Judges will begin to be assigned new cases on August 15. Fr ..read more

On August 1, 2018, the Senate confirmed Colm F. Connolly and Maryellen Noreika as the District of Delaware’s newest District Judges. Connolly will fill the seat vacated by the retirement of Judge Sue L. Robinson, and Noreika will fill the seat vacated by Senior Judge Gregory M. Sleet. These confirmations return the District of Delaware to a full complement of District Judges. Colm Connolly is a partner with the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, where he manages the Wilmington office as a member of the firm’s litigation and intellectual property practice groups. He joined Morgan Lewi ..read more

Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP recently unveiled the formation of its Trade Secret and Employee Mobility practice.   Our practice is comprised of a team of intellectual property, employment, corporate, and business litigation specialists who have a wide range of experience with internal investigations, employee mobility counseling, and prosecuting and defending expedited cases in various courts in and around the Mid-Atlantic region, including the Delaware Court of Chancery, Delaware Superior Court and District Court for the District of Delaware. The ..read more