Law360.com reported that “Facebook told a California federal judge Monday it had reached a mid-trial settlement of BladeRoom Group Ltd.’s $365 million data center trade secrets suit, prompting co-defendant Emerson Electric Co. to unsuccessfully seek a mistrial on grounds that Facebook’s ongoing Cambridge Analytica scandal will bias jurors against it.” The April 9, 2018 article entitled “Facebook Settles $365M Trade Secrets Case Mid-Trial” included District Judge Edward J. Davila’s ruling that the trial against Emerson would continue even the lawyers argued that there was “nothing more politically charged in this country”:
Emerson argued that a mistrial or continuation is warranted on the remaining claims against it, saying that because of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook would remain an “elephant in the room” that jurors wouldn’t be able to forget.
Here’s the basis of the lawsuit:
BladeRoom is seeking $365 million in claimed damages, according to court documents, including $18.4 million for allegedly lost profits on the building contract, $88.4 million for future profits BladeRoom said it couldn’t generate as a result of the trade secret theft, and $188.4 million in unjust enrichment that BladeRoom said Emerson received from being able to later sell off part of its business.
Stay tuned to see what happens as the trial proceeds.
