STUART, Fla., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In what can only be described as a major victory for famed trial attorney Willie Gary and his legal team, Judge Leroy H. Moe has fined Motorola $23 million in attorney's fees and costs due to Motorola's egregious misconduct during trial.
The $23 million ruling was handed down after Judge Moe stated during a previous hearing that, "sanctions are in order against Motorola" for the intentional, deliberate, blatant, willful and contumacious violation of a direct order from the Court.
The judge imposed the $23 million sanction in connection with the trial that began in early October 2006 and lasted nearly two months. The $10-30 billion dollar lawsuit that Gary and his team tried on behalf of his client, SPS Technologies, Inc., ended with a mistrial.
"The ruling handed down by Judge Moe has sent an important message to Motorola and its attorneys," commented Willie Gary, lead counsel for SPS. "Over the last five years we have spent millions of dollars in attorney's fees and costs that were wasted because of Motorola's cheating and violating one Court order after another" continued Gary. "The $23 million dollars says to Motorola and its lawyers that dishonesty and willful misconduct during a trial will not be tolerated. They are not above the law."
Gary intends to ask the Court to rule on the $100 million request for restitution for SPS, which he feels was inadvertently not addressed during yesterday's hearing.
Gary and his legal team allege that Motorola stole SPS' idea for computer- based tracking technology, which led to Motorola's present vehicle tracking system, licensed to major auto industries and related systems. A new trial date has not been set but Gary will ask for $10 to 30 billion in damages.
Gary and his legal team are no strangers to seeking justice. Gary is perhaps best known as a trial lawyer for his half billion-dollar verdict against Canadian corporate giant, the Loewen Group in 1995. Gary and his team also won a $240 million verdict against Walt Disney Corporation for their clients who alleged Disney stole their idea for a sports theme park. Additionally, Gary was awarded $18.28 million against the media conglomerate Gannett Company for the false portrayal of their clients in a series of newspaper articles. In 2001, a jury awarded Gary a $139.6 verdict for the Maris Distributing Company against Anheuser-Busch. Gary next high profile trial will likely be against ESPN on behalf of his client, famed boxing promoter Don King. Gary has sued ESPN's for over 2.5 billion dollars for defaming Don King and placing him in a false light.
& Sperando, P. L.