February 21, 2018
Four partners from Woodard, Emhardt, Moriarty, McNett & Henry LLP have been named to the 2018 Indiana Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.
The following attorneys were included on the Super Lawyers list:
• Thomas Q. Henry – Intellectual Property
• Spiro Bereveskos – Intellectual Property Litigation
• Daniel J. Lueders – Intellectual Property Litigation
The following attorney was named to the Rising Stars list:
• William A. McKenna – Intellectual Property Litigation
Super Lawyers is an annual rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The patented selection process includes independent research, statewide nominations and peer evaluations. Only the top 5 percent of Indiana’s attorneys are selected among the state’s most elite. All honorees are listed on the Super Lawyers website at www.superlawyers.com.
The “Rising Stars” designation honors leading attorneys who are 40 years or younger or have been practicing for 10 years or less.
November 30, 2017
A team from two Indianapolis law firms recently won a two-week jury trial in a trade secret lawsuit tried in U.S. District Court of Colorado, securing a defense verdict for a mutual client facing a claim of over $200 million in damages.
The team of lawyers from Woodard, Emhardt, Moriarty, McNett & Henry LLP (Woodard) and Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP (BGD) capitalized on the respective strengths of the two firms to create an efficient, highly-focused and diverse team that took the case through massive ESI, other discovery and to trial. The lead defense attorneys were Spiro Bereveskos and Dan Lueders from Woodard and Rusty Denton and Bri Clark from BGD.
The team represented Knauf Insulation, Inc. (Knauf), a fiberglass insulation manufacturer headquartered in Shelbyville, Indiana. The lawsuit was filed by a Knauf competitor, Denver-based Johns Manville Corporation (JM). The lawsuit centered on technology relative to super-alloy spinner discs used to make insulation and began primarily as a patent case. JM claimed infringement of its “unique, novel and nonobvious spinner disc alloy.” JM also claimed misappropriation of alleged spinner disc trade secret information. The District Court dismissed JM’s patent claim with prejudice before trial. At trial in Denver, only three of JM’s alleged trade secret claims were presented to the jury over nine days of trial ending on November 9.
After less than three hours of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict that, in view of Knauf’s defense, JM failed to prove its claims of misappropriation. The verdict represented a complete exoneration of Knauf. Bereveskos said, “I am proud of the talented team we assembled and grateful the jury was able to see that Knauf was correct.”
The firms credit their unique collaboration to the personal relationship between two of the lead attorneys, Rusty Denton and Dan Lueders. Denton said, “I have known and worked with Dan for almost twenty years. I have the highest respect for him and his firm, and I knew that together, we could tap into the unique skills of our two firms.” The team combined Woodard’s specialized technical resources, BGD’s deep litigation support and the trial skills and experience of both firms to create a winning team. “It was classic team play. Everyone contributed and subordinated themselves to the good of the client and the cause,” said Lueders.
February 22, 2017
We are pleased to announce that Woodard, Emhardt partners Thomas Henry, Spiro Bereveskos and Daniel Lueders have been named Super Lawyers for 2017. Additionally, Woodard, Emhardt partner Bill McKenna has been named as a Rising Star for 2017. Congratulations to all!
May 19, 2016
Judge Stivers of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky recently ordered that a trademark infringement lawsuit filed against operators of historical horse racing games by numerous prominent race tracks should be dismissed. The suit alleged that the defendants infringed upon the Plaintiffs’ trademarks by using the racetracks’ names to identify the location where historic horse races had taken place. The Court reasoned that the defendants were “fully within their rights to describe where an event took place in their wagering system without implying the owners of the racetrack are sponsoring the game…” Moreover, the court found that the defendants were protected by the fair use defense when describing where an event took place, even when the location described is most commonly conveyed using a registered trademark. Woodard Emhardt attorneys Spiro Bereveskos and Bill McKenna are representing the Defendants.
May 12, 2016
Judge Stivers of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky recently ordered that a patent infringement lawsuit filed against operators of historical horse racing games should be dismissed as the three patents asserted failed to claim patent eligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. 101. In dismissing all three infringement claims, the Court wrote “[Plaintiff]’s patents encompass subject matter facially unpatentable under Section 101. The only plausible reading of the ‘150, ‘887, and ‘737 patents reflects that they are ineligible for patent protection. The Asserted Patents are abstract ideas, and [plaintiff] has failed to demonstrate an inventive concept required to transform these claims into patentable subject matter within the meaning of Section 101. Thus, the claims asserted in the Amended Complaint must be dismissed.” The opportunity for companies facing the threat of infringement from patent holders to obtain either invalidate those patents or obtain prompt and efficient dismissal such as this in litigation has significantly increased following the Supreme Court’s decision in Alice. Woodard Emhardt attorneys Spiro Bereveskos and Bill McKenna are representing the Defendants.
March 31, 2016
Woodard Emhardt Moriarty McNett & Henry LLP is pleased to announce that partners Spiro Bereveskos, Daniel J. Lueders, and Charles P. Schmal have been selected to appear in the 2016 edition of IP Stars from Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) magazine. IP Stars identifies and analyzes the leading IP firms and attorneys in all 50 US states and Washington DC to provide deeper insights to the complex US IP legal market for in-house counsel at Fortune 500 companies. Professionals selected for IP Stars are highly-regarded by their peers for the work they do both in and outside their organizations.
February 22, 2016
Congratulations to Woodard, Emhardt partners Spiro Bereveskos, Thomas Henry, and Daniel Lueders for being named Super Lawyers in The Super Lawyers Magazine, Indiana / 2016.
March 17, 2015
Congratulations to our partners Spiro Bereveskos, Dan Lueders and Chuck Schmal on being selected to appear in the third edition of IP Stars from Managing IP (MIP) magazine. IP Stars identifies and analyzes the leading IP firms and attorneys in all 50 US states and Washington DC to provide deeper insights to the complex US IP legal market for in-house counsel at Fortune 500 companies.
February 13, 2015
We are pleased to announce that Woodard, Emhardt partners Tom Henry, Spiro Bereveskos, and Dan Lueders have been named Super Lawyers in the 2015 edition of Indiana Super Lawyers. Woodard, Emhardt partner Bill McKenna and associate Jim Blaufuss have been named Rising Stars for 2015. Congratulations! Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding lawyers through a rigorous ratings and selection process.
July 22, 2014
Congratulations to Woodard, Emhardt partners Thomas Henry, Daniel Lueders and Spiro Berveskos for being named Super Lawyers in 2014 The Super Lawyers Business Edition, November 2014.
