Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_02-cv-03262/USCOURTS-cand-4_02-cv-03262-6/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 830
Nature of Suit: Patent
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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Frank T. Shum, )

)

 Plaintiff, )

)

 v. )

) No. C-02-03262-DLJ

Intel Corp., et al )

) ORDER

 Defendant. )

______________________________)

Nonparty Aprius, Inc. (Aprius) moved to intervene in this

action, brought by Frank Shum (Shum) against Jean-Marc Verdiell

(Verdiell) and Intel Corp. (Intel), for the limited purpose of

bringing a motion to disqualify Shum’s counsel Townsend

Townsend and Crew LLP (Townsend). At the same time, Aprius

filed a motion to disqualify Townsend from its representation

of Shum in this matter because of the alleged conflict of

interest arising from the fact that Townsend was simultaneously

representing Aprius, a company engaged in patent prosecution,

in which Verdiell was a co-founder and the CEO. Verdiell

seperately joined in the motion to disqualify Townsend. A

hearing was held on June 6, 2008. Ethan Schulman appeared on

behalf of Aprius, Guy Calladine appeared on behalf of Shum, and

Stephen Taylor appeared on behalf of Verdiell.

The Court granted Aprius’ motion to intervene for the

limited purpose of moving to disqualify Townsend and allowed

Aprius to participate in the proceedings. At that hearing it

became apparent that serious problems as to Townsend’s duty of

loyalty to both its clients, Shum and Aprius, would be raised

by simultaneous representation. At the hearing, the Court

stated that it appeared that Townsend could not continue

Case 4:02-cv-03262-DLJ Document 587 Filed 07/10/08 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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representing Shum in the instant matter so long as it continued

representing Aprius. The parties were ordered to meet and

confer to discuss resolution of this matter and to thereafter

submit to the Court a stipulated order if they could arrive at

such a resolution. The parties have submitted no such order. 

The Court has been informed that Townsend and Aprius have

now severed their attorney-client relationship, thereby

eliminating the conflict of interest upon which Aprius and

Verdiell based their motion to disqualify Townsend. As the

conflict that gave rise to the disqualification motion no

longer exists, the motion to disqualify Townsend as Shum’s

counsel is DISMISSED as moot.

IT IS SO ORDERED

Dated: July 10, 2008

_________________________

D. Lowell Jensen

United States District Judge

Case 4:02-cv-03262-DLJ Document 587 Filed 07/10/08 Page 2 of 2