HOUSTON - The 14th Court of Appeals recently affirmed a summary judgment ruling in favor of the Hunton Andrews Kurth law firm.
William Scott Taylor, an inventor, along with WPEM and W2W sued Hunton Andrews Kurth, Douglas Rommelmann and Brett Cooke, alleging the defendants were negligent and grossly negligent in the handling of a patent application.
Court records show the defendants moved for summary judgment on the entities’ claims against them, which the trial court granted. The plaintiffs then sought summary judgment on Taylor’s claims, which the trial court granted on Taylor’s claims against Andrews Kurth and Cooke. The trial court then severed Taylor’s claims against Rommelmann, making the interlocutory summary judgments final.
The plaintiffs appealed, and on Thursday the 14th Court concluded that the trial court committed no error when it granted the two summary judgment motions, affirming the trial court’s rulings.
According to the opinion, Taylor, along with his business partner Tina Pantoja, developed a software application called SafeCell.
W2W, through Taylor, approached Andrews Kurth partner Rommelmann to obtain a patent on the SafeCell application. At that time, Cooke was an Andrews Kurth associate who worked with Rommelmann on W2W’s patent application.
The plaintiffs alleged that Andrews Kurth, Rommelmann, and Cooke were negligent and grossly negligent in their handling of the patent application process, which in turn caused them damages, including lost revenues and the loss of a patent infringement lawsuit, the opinion states.
Appeals case No. 14-22-00410-CV