Law Firms
Dickinson Wright Sued for $33M in Alleged Patent Error for Lacrosse Stick
Posted Jun 4, 2009, 06:34 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A $33 million suit filed against Dickinson Wright claims two of its lawyers let a patent lapse for a lacrosse stick by failing to pay an administrative fee.
The suit by Warrior Sports Inc. claims the mistake forced the company into an unfavorable settlement in its infringement suit against a competitor and allowed other companies to use Warrior’s design, the National Law Journal reports.
The lacrosse stick has a curved head that makes it easier to scoop up the ball.
Warrior blames the error on lawyers John A. Artz and John S. Artz, who worked for Artz & Artz when the patent lapsed, the story says. The firm merged with Dickinson Wright in 2007.
Dickinson Wright gave this statement to the Wall Street Journal Law Blog: “Dickinson Wright strongly denies any wrongdoing in connection with the Warrior case, which has been pending in a Michigan state court for some time and recently was refiled in federal court following a dismissal on jurisdictional grounds.”
The Law Blog posted the complaint (PDF).