Furminator, Inc. v. Kim Laube & Co., Inc.

NOTE: This order is nonprecedential United States Court of AppeaIs for the FederaI Circuit FURMINATOR, INC. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS FM ACQUISITION CORP.), Plaintiff-Appellee, ' \ v. KIM LAUBE & CO., INC., Defendant-Appellant. 2011-1197 Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in case n0. 08-.CV-0367, Judge E. Richard Webber. ON MOTION Before PRosT, MAYER, and MooRE, Circuic Ju,dges. MooRE, Circuit Judge. 0 R D E R Kim Laube & C0., Inc. submits a moti0n, which we treat as a petition for a writ of mandamus within the context of this appea1, to stay a trial on damages in the FURMINATOR V. KIM LAUBE 2 United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri pending disposition of this appeal. Kim Laube & Co., Inc. filed this appeal seeking re- view of the district court’s summary judgment of in- fringement against it and the sanctions imposed on Kim Laube & Co., Inc. striking testimony and evidence. After entering an order disposing of infringement, validity, and other issues, the district court entered a subsequent order to schedule a hearing on damages and injunctive relief. The district court denied Kim Laube & Co., Inc.’s motion to stay the hearing pending appeal. In its motion to this court, Kim Laube & Co., Inc. asks us to vacate the district court’s order setting a hearing on damages, arguing that its notice of appea1idivested the district court of jurisdiction. We note that 28 U.S.C. § 1292(c)(2) gives this court jurisdiction to consider inter- locutory appeals from judgments in civil actions for patent infringement "which would otherwise be appealable" and are “final except for an accounting." But § 1292(c)(2) does not divest the district court of jurisdiction to proceed with a damages tria1. As we explained in In. re C'almar, 854 F.2d 4e1, 464 (F@d. cia 19s3); Hence it is clear that the purpose of the legisla- tion, § 1292(c)(2), allowing interlocutory appeals in patent cases was to permit a stay of a damages trial. Thus there is no conflict between § 1292(c)(2) and [Fed. R. Civ. P.] 62(a)’s grant of the discretion to stay or to proceed with the dam- ages trial during the appeal. Indeed, in recogni- tion of the district court’s discretion, this court has repeatedly denied, in unpublished opinions, mo- tions to stay damages trials during appeals in patent cases. [E1nphasis in origina1.] 3 FURMINATOR V. KIM LAUBE Here, we do not find an abuse of discretion by the dis- trict court in the circumstances of this case. Accordingly, IT ls 0RDERED THAT: The petition for a writ of mandamus is denied. MAR 04 2011 Date ocr Alan H. Norman, Esq. Kent A. Rowald, Esq. s23 FoR THE CoURT /s/ J an Horbaly J an Horbaly _ Clerk - FlLED u.s. count oF APPEALs Fa¢ rn-le FEnEnn mount MAR 04 2011 JANHORBALY 0LEH£ 0