Purewick Corporation v. Sage Products, LLC ( 2023 )


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  • Case: 23-1868     Document: 13    Page: 1   Filed: 06/28/2023
    NOTE: This order is nonprecedential.
    United States Court of Appeals
    for the Federal Circuit
    ______________________
    PUREWICK CORPORATION,
    Plaintiff-Appellee
    v.
    SAGE PRODUCTS, LLC,
    Defendant-Appellant
    ______________________
    2023-1868
    ______________________
    Appeal from the United States District Court for the
    District of Delaware in No. 1:19-cv-01508-MN, Judge
    Maryellen Noreika.
    ______________________
    ON MOTION
    ______________________
    Before LOURIE, HUGHES, and CUNNINGHAM, Circuit
    Judges.
    LOURIE, Circuit Judge.
    ORDER
    PureWick Corporation moves to dismiss this appeal for
    lack of jurisdiction. ECF No. 4. Sage Products, LLC op-
    poses the motion and cross-moves to stay the appeal, which
    PureWick opposes. ECF No. 10.
    Case: 23-1868     Document: 13      Page: 2    Filed: 06/28/2023
    2              PUREWICK CORPORATION     v. SAGE PRODUCTS, LLC
    PureWick filed this suit asserting infringement of four
    patents, including 
    U.S. Patent No. 8,287,508
     (“the ’508 pa-
    tent”). The district court stayed proceedings on the ’508
    patent pending a related appeal regarding a final written
    decision from an inter partes review (“IPR”) that found the
    asserted claims unpatentable. After a trial, the jury found
    in favor of PureWick on the remaining three patents. The
    district court subsequently acted on various post-trial mo-
    tions on March 31, 2023, though there remain disputes re-
    garding final judgment. And while this court has affirmed
    the IPR decision, PureWick Corp. v. Sage Prods., LLC, No.
    2022-1697, 
    2023 WL 2808068
     (Fed. Cir. Apr. 6, 2023), the
    district court has not taken further action on the ’508 pa-
    tent.
    Ordinarily, we only have jurisdiction to review a “final
    decision of a district court,” 
    28 U.S.C. § 1295
    (a)(1), which
    “end[s] the litigation on the merits, and the
    judge . . . clearly declare[s her] intention in this respect,”
    FirsTier Mortg. Co. v. Invs. Mortg. Ins. Co., 
    498 U.S. 269
    ,
    273–74 (1991) (cleaned up). Here, the district court has not
    yet “decide[d] or dismisse[d] all claims and counterclaims
    for each party” relating to the ’508 patent. SafeTCare Mfg.,
    Inc. v. Tele-Made, Inc., 
    497 F.3d 1262
    , 1267 (Fed. Cir.
    2007). See ECF No. 4 at 13; ECF No. 10 at 17; PureWick
    Corp. v. Sage Prods., LLC, No. 19-1508 (D. Del. Apr. 21,
    2023), ECF No. 371-1 at 5 n.6.
    Sage argues that its premature notice of appeal can be
    saved by Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 4(a)(2), but,
    before the premature notice of appeal was filed, Sage itself
    told the district court that “this judgment is not final unless
    it disposes of all claims and defenses, including the ’508 pa-
    tent,” ECF No. 371-1 at 5 n.6. Thus, there was no reason-
    able basis to conclude that the court had entered a final
    decision before the notice of appeal was filed such that
    Rule 4(a)(2) does not apply. FirsTier, 
    498 U.S. at
    273–74.
    Accordingly,
    Case: 23-1868     Document: 13   Page: 3      Filed: 06/28/2023
    PUREWICK CORPORATION   v. SAGE PRODUCTS, LLC               3
    IT IS ORDERED THAT:
    (1) The motion to dismiss is granted. The appeal is
    dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
    (2) The motion to stay is denied.
    (3) Each side shall bear its own costs.
    FOR THE COURT
    June 28, 2023                         /s/ Jarrett B. Perlow
    Date                               Jarrett B. Perlow
    Acting Clerk of Court
    cc: United States District Court for the District of Dela-
    ware.
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 23-1868

Filed Date: 6/28/2023

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 7/6/2023