Date: 10-09-2009

Case Style: ZF Meritor, L.L.C., et al. v. Eaton Corporation

Case Number: 1:06-cv-00623-SLR

Judge: Sue L. Robinson

Court: United States District Court for the District of Delaware

Plaintiff's Attorney: Chandra Joan Rudloff and Karen Sullivan, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Wilmington, Delaware and Lauren H. Barski, R. Bruce Holcomb, Peter J. Kadzik, Ann-Marie Luciano, Charles E. Luftig, Meredith Graham Robinson and Jennifer D. Hackett

Defendant's Attorney: Don Reid, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, Wilmington, Delaware and Veronica N. Berger, Erik T. Koons, William C. Lavery, Andrew D. Lazerow, Curtis J. LeGeyt, Joseph A. Ostoyich and Melissa Handrigan

Description: ArvinMeritor Inc. sued Eaton Corp. on an antitrust violation theory claiming that Defendant engaged in anticompetitive conduct in the sale and marketing of heavy-duty truck transmissions. Plaintiff claimed that Eaton's anticompetitive behavior forced it out of the Nafta line-haul transmission business and led to the demise of its venture with ZF Industries.

n 2005, Eaton won a ruling from the International Trade Commission that prohibited imports of transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty trucks made by Germany-based ZF Friedrichshafen, ArvinMeritor and their joint venture, ZF Meritor LLC, into the U.S. because of a patent infringement.

Eaton denied wrongdoing.

Outcome: Plaintiffs' verdict. Damages to be determined later.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: Edited and published by Kent Morlan