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Editor: Marc Jay Bern
Profession: Defective Medical Device Lawyer

Category: Medtronic Lawsuit News

Medtronic, maker of defibrillators and pacemakers, knowingly violated a patent for artificial spinal discs, alleges a lawyer for a unit of Synthes Inc.

The company should pay $14.9 million in damages and 18 percent royalty on sales to the unit, an attorney for Spine Solutions Inc. told the 10-member jury in federal court in Memphis.

The Maverick Artificial Disc copies Spine Solutions' ProDisc II, he said.

In March 2007 Spine Solutions sued Medtronic seeking an order to discontinue sales of the product by Medtronic's Sofamor Danek unit. Medtronic claims Spine Solutions intentionally changed its patent applications to closely resemble Medtronic's product and boost its claim.

An attorney for Medtronic told jurors, "The patent was obvious and should be invalidated."

The case is Spine Solutions Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek Inc., 07cv2175, U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee (Memphis).