1 This order is being issued to correct a clerical error in the original

order (doc. #564). The references to Alfredo Silva in the original order are

replaced in this order with Mike McKool Jr. 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS

FORT WORTH DIVISION

HIGHMARK, INC. §

 §

VS. § CIVIL NO. 4:03-CV-1384-Y

 §

ALLCARE HEALTH MANAGEMENT § 

SYSTEMS, INC. §

OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR 

EXCEPTIONAL-CASE FINDING AND ATTORNEY’S FEES1

Pending before the Court is the Motion for Exceptional Case

Finding and Award of Attorney Fees and Expenses (doc. #513) filed

by plaintiff, Highmark, Inc. (“Highmark”). After review, the Court

concludes that this case is exceptional under 35 U.S.C. § 285 as a

consequence of certain acts of defendant Allcare Health Management

Systems, Inc. (“Allcare”), over the course of the litigation. The

Court further concludes that sanctions under Federal Rule of Civil

Procedure 11 are appropriate. Highmark’s motion will, therefore,

be granted.

Also before the Court is Allcare’s Motion for Hearing (doc. #552)

in which Allcare requests that the Court conduct a hearing on the

motion for exceptional-case finding. Because the Court has ruled

on the motion for exceptional-case finding based on the briefing,

the Court DENIES the motion for hearing as MOOT. 

 

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2

I. Background

Allcare is a Virginia corporation with its principal place of

business in Fort Worth, Texas. Allcare’s business is the licensing

of intellectual-property assets. Among the assets handled by Allcare

is U.S. Patent No. 5,301,105 (“the ‘105 patent”). After conducting

a survey of various healthcare management and insurance companies,

Allcare filed suit against twenty-four such companies in four separate

suits asserting that the companies’ computerized information-management

systems infringed the ‘105 patent.

Highmark was among the companies surveyed by Allcare. In April

2002, Allcare’s vice president of licensing, Robert Shelton, wrote

a letter to Highmark stating that Allcare believed Highmark’s system

infringed the ‘105 patent, requesting that Highmark consider purchasing

a license to the ‘105 patent, and raising the potential for litigation

if Highmark refused. Allcare sent additional letters to Highmark,

encouraging Highmark to purchase a license, threatening litigation,

and warning Highmark of the “substantial damages” Allcare would pursue,

as well as the high costs of litigation. (Mot. App. at 354 (December

11, 2002, letter from counsel for Allcare, Steven Hill, noting that

over $2 million in fees had been expended in approximately 6 months

by an entity defending against a related infringement suit by Allcare

and that Allcare would be seeking "substantial damages" against

Highmark).) 

Among the suits instituted by Allcare based on alleged

 

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3

infringement of the ‘105 patent is Allcare Health Management Systems,

Inc. v. Trigon Healthcare, Inc., 1:02-CV-756-A (E.D. Va. Feb. 3, 2003).

Trigon Healthcare, Inc., was also surveyed by Allcare. Based

apparently on Trigon’s responses, Allcare determined that Trigon’s

system infringed the ‘105 patent. After sending Trigon a letter and

suggesting it license the ‘105 patent from Allcare, Allcare filed

an infringement suit against Trigon in May 2002. (Resp. App. at 138.)

According to Allcare, Trigon and Highmark’s defenses to Allcare’s

allegations of infringement of claim 52 were the same in that both

Trigon and Highmark challenged the validity of the ‘105 patent in

light of undisclosed prior art and each claimed that their respective

systems lacked a “diagnostic smart system” as required by claim 52.

A diagnostic smart system, as contemplated by the ‘105 patent, is

a system in which a physician enters codes symbolizing patient symptoms

that are then compared by the computer system to stored data on the

usual symptoms of common diseases and ailments. (Cl. Constr. Rep.,

doc. #367, at 2-3.) After this comparison, the system generates a

list of conditions that are likely the cause of the specific patient’s

symptoms, along with recommended treatments. (Id.) Allcare filed

a motion for summary judgment and, on February 3, 2003, the United

States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia entered

its order. (Resp. App. at 41-66.) The court concluded that claim

element 52(c) did not require a diagnostic smart system and that the

entry of data symbolic of patient symptoms did not have to be for

 

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2 It should be noted that claim 53 is dependent upon claim 52. (Doc. #367

at 41.)

4

the purpose of suggesting a mode of treatment. (Resp. App. at 45,

51-52). The court also concluded that the ‘105 patent is enforceable.

(Id. at 57-62, 66.) 

After the summary-judgment rulings in Trigon, Allcare sent another

letter to Highmark. The letter apprised Highmark of the rulings

favorable to Allcare in Trigon, again requested that Highmark purchase

a license and suggested that litigation may be necessary if Highmark

refused. After some discussion between Highmark and Allcare, Highmark

filed this action against Allcare seeking a declaratory judgment of

invalidity, noninfringement, and unenforceability of the ‘105 patent.

Allcare filed a counterclaim alleging infringement of the ‘105 patent.

In August 2006, Don W. Martens was appointed special master in

this case, and the issue of claim construction was referred to him.

Martens submitted a report and recommendation (doc. #367) that the

Court adopted in March 2007 (doc. #375). Martens’s report construed

the claims at issue in this case–-claim 1, 52, 53, and 102.2 After

Martens’s report, in February 2008, Allcare withdrew its counterclaim

of infringement as to claim 102 (doc. #481). Highmark also withdrew

its contention of invalidity and unenforceability of claim 1 (doc.

#505). Martens also issued a report on Highmark’s motion for summary

judgment (doc. #484). The Court adopted Martens’s report and entered

summary judgment in favor of Highmark on August 28, 2008 (doc. #503),

 

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5

concluding that the ‘105 patent is not unenforceable but that

Highmark’s system did not infringe claim 52 or 53. As the prevailing

party in this patent case, Highmark now seeks attorneys’ fees and

other expenses.

II. Discussion

A. Legal Standards

1. 35 U.S.C. § 285

“The court in exceptional cases may award reasonable attorney

fees to the prevailing party.” 35 U.S.C. § 285. The evaluation of

whether attorneys’ fees should be awarded under § 285 is a two-step

process. See Digeo, Inc. v. Audible, Inc., 505 F.3d 1362, 1366-67

(Fed. Cir. 2007). First, a court must determine whether there is

clear and convincing evidence that the case is exceptional. See id.

at 1367. “The ‘clear and convincing’ standard is an intermediate

standard which lies somewhere in between the ‘beyond a reasonable

doubt’ and the ‘preponderance of the evidence’ standards of proof.”

Pfizer, Inc. v. Apotex, Inc., 480 F.3d 1348, 1360 n.5 (Fed. Cir. 2007)

(citing Addington v. Texas, 441 U.S. 418, 425 (1979) and SSIH Equip.

S.A. v. United States Int'l Trade Comm'n, 718 F.2d 365, 380-81 (Fed.

Cir. 1983) (Nies, J., additional views)). “Although an exact

definition is elusive, ‘clear and convincing evidence’ has been

described as evidence that ‘place[s] in the ultimate factfinder an

abiding conviction that the truth of its factual contentions are highly

 

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6

probable.’” Id. (quoting Colorado v. New Mexico, 467 U.S. 310, 316,

(1984)). It is such evidence as to form in the mind of the trier

of fact a “firm belief or conviction” as to the truth of the

allegations sought to be established. See Trans-World Mfg. Corp v.

Al Nyman & Sons, Inc., 750 F.2d 1552, 1559-60 (Fed. Cir. 1984)

(discussing use of clear-and-convincing standard in proving prior

use of a patented invention in overcoming presumption of patent's

validity). 

"A case may be deemed exceptional when there has been some

material inappropriate conduct related to the matter in litigation,

such as willful infringement, fraud or inequitable conduct in procuring

the patent, misconduct during litigation, vexatious or unjustified

litigation, conduct that violates Fed. R. Civ. P. 11, or like

infractions." Brooks Furniture Mfg., Inc., v. Dutailier Int'l, Inc.,

393 F.3d 1378, 1381 (Fed. Cir. 2005). A court may find a case

exceptional because the case is frivolous. See Stephens v. Tech Int’l,

Inc., 393 F.3d 1269, 1273-74 (Fed. Cir. 2004) (noting that a case

may be deemed exceptional due to, inter alia, the frivolity of the

suit); see also Beckman Instruments, Inc. v. LKB Produkter AB, 892

F.2d 1547, 1551 (Fed. Cir. 1989) (stating that “unjustified litigation”

or a “frivolous suit” can form the basis of an exceptional-case

finding). “A frivolous infringement suit is one [that] the patentee

knew or, on reasonable investigation, should have known was baseless."

Stephens, 393 F.3d 1273-74.

 

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7

An award of attorneys’ fees is not made mandatory by an

exceptional-case finding. As the second step of the analysis under

section 285, once a case is shown by clear and convincing evidence

to be exceptional, a court must assess whether, in its discretion,

an award of fees is justified. See Digeo, Inc., 505 F.3d at 1366-67.

A court may exercise its discretion and decline to award attorneys’

fees despite such an exceptional-case finding. In assessing whether

an exceptional-case finding justifies an award of fees, a court must

weigh factors--such as the relative merits of the parties’ positions,

the tactics of counsel, and the conduct of the parties--that contribute

to a fair allocation of the burdens of litigation. See S.C. Johnson

& Son, Inc. v. Carter-Wallace, Inc., 781 F.2d 198, 201 (Fed. Cir.

1986). 

2. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11

A court may also award fees and expenses as a sanction under

Rule 11. See FED. R. CIV. P. 11; see also Cooter & Gell v. Hartmarx

Corp., 496 U.S. 384, 393 (1990) (explaining that the sanctions under

Rule 11 “may, but need not, include payment of the other parties’

expenses”). Among the bases upon which a court may award Rule 11

sanctions is the failure by a party seeking relief to properly

investigate its allegations before filing suit. See S. Bravo Sys.

v. Containment Techs. Corp., 96 F.3d 1372, 1375 (Fed. Cir. 1996).

In this case, at issue are Allcare’s counterclaims of infringement.

 

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8

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has

explained:

Before filing counterclaims of patent infringement, Rule

11, we think, must be interpreted to require the law firm

to, at a bare minimum, apply the claims of each and every

patent that is being brought into the lawsuit to an accused

device and conclude that there is a reasonable basis for

a finding of infringement of at least one claim of each

patent so asserted. The presence of an infringement analysis

plays the key role in determining the reasonableness of

the pre-filing inquiry made in a patent infringement case

under Rule 11.

View Eng’g, Inc. v. Robotic Vision Sys., 208 F.3d 981, 986 (Fed. Cir.

2000).

3. Inherent Powers

A court may also award fees to a successful party under its

inherent equitable power. See Hall v. Cole, 412 U.S. 1, 15 (1973).

Before a court may exercise its inherent authority to impose sanctions,

there must be “a finding of fraud or bad faith whereby the very temple

of justice has been defiled.” See Amsted Indus. v. Buckeye Steel

Castings Co., 23 F.3d 374, 378 (Fed. Cir. 1994). A court’s inherent

authority is in addition to authority provided by statute or rule.

See id.

B. Analysis 

1. Pre-Filing Investigation 

Highmark insists that Allcare failed to obtain an opinion of

a lawyer before filing counterclaims of infringement. Highmark also

 

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9

argues that Allcare failed to evaluate whether all of the elements

of the patent claims at issue were contained in Highmark’s system.

In this regard, Highmark argues that although Allcare commissioned

a survey by Seaport Surveys, Inc. (“the Seaport Survey”), to assess

the systems of various health-industry companies, including Highmark,

Allcare failed to tailor that survey to determine whether the systems

of the companies surveyed contained all of the elements of patent

claims 52, 53, and 102. Additionally, Highmark maintains that the

fact that its system lacks claim element 52(c), which requires the

entry into a system of “data symbolic of patient symptoms for

tentatively identifying a proposed mode of treatment,” was the key

to its defense against Allcare’s allegation of infringement regarding

claim 52. Despite this, Allcare never addressed how Highmark’s system

allegedly encompassed element 52(c), even after Highmark filed a motion

for summary judgment on this precise point.

a. Need for Opinion by Patent Attorney

Allcare contends that a formal opinion by a patent lawyer is

unnecessary for an adequate pre-filing investigation. Citing Deering

Precision Instruments, L.L.C. v. Vector Distribution Systems, 347

F.3d 1314 (Fed. Cir. 2003), Allcare notes that the Federal Circuit

has “rejected arguments that an action was frivolously filed even

when the patentee did not obtain a formal opinion of counsel before

asserting infringement.” (Resp. Br. at 13.) Rather, all that is

 

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10

required is a “good faith, informed comparison of the claims of a

patent against the accused subject matter.” See Q-Pharma, Inc. v.

Andrew Jergens Co., 360 F.3d 1295, 1302-04 (Fed. Cir. 2004) (denying

Rule 11 sanctions where patentee had made good-faith comparison and

concluding the case was not exceptional for same reason). And Allcare

insists it performed such a good-faith comparison. 

But the issue in Deering appears to have been whether attorneys’

fees were justified in light of the patentee’s failure to consult

a patent attorney regarding the patent’s prosecution history and

infringement under the doctrine of equivalents. See Deering, 347

F.3d at 1321. And regardless, the Federal Circuit in Deering merely

decided that the district court had not committed clear error by

refusing to conclude that the failure to obtain an opinion of patent

counsel is per se gross negligence and by otherwise concluding that

the patentee’s conduct was not harassing. See id. at 1321, 1327.

Moreover, Highmark does not limit its complaint to Allcare’s alleged

failure to secure the opinion of a patent attorney. Rather, Highmark

complains that the only investigation apparent from the record was

performed by a layman.

 

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3 The adequacy of counsel’s pre-filing investigation is relevant to both

fees under § 285 and sanctions under Rule 11. See FED. R. CIV. P. 11 (requiring

all pleadings to be signed by an attorney whose signature represents that “the

claims, defenses, and other legal theories are warranted” after a reasonable

inquiry); Brooks Furniture Mfg., Inc., v. Dutailier Int'l, Inc., 393 F.3d 1378,

1381 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (conduct that justifies exceptional-case finding includes

“conduct that violates Fed. R. Civ. P. 11, or like infractions"). 

11

b. Pre-Filing Investigation by Counsel3

Allcare insists that its counsel, Stephen Hill, provided an

element-by-element explanation for its allegation of infringement

of claim 52. (Resp. App. at 139.) That explanation is allegedly

contained in certain charts that were initially prepared for the Trigon

litigation. Because of the similarity of the issues in this case

and those in Trigon, and because counsel for Highmark requested as

much, Hill provided Highmark with the charts developed in connection

with Trigon. (Id. at 4, 139-40.) Hill also purports to have spoken

with experts to confirm his determination of infringement. (Resp.

App. at 162-63.) 

Highmark counters that the Trigon charts are insufficient to

establish an adequate pre-filing investigation in this case. The

charts, according to Highmark, deal with claim construction, not

infringement. Hill seems to recognize as much in his declaration.

(Resp. App. at 163 (describing the charts from Trigon as claimconstruction charts).) As the United States Supreme Court explained

in Markman v. Westview Instruments: 

[A] patent includes one or more ‘claims,’ which particularly

poin[t] out and distinctly clai[m] the subject matter which

the applicant regards as his invention. A claim covers

and secures a process, a machine, a manufacture, a

 

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12

composition of matter, or a design, but never the function

or result of either, nor the scientific explanation of their

operation. The claim define[s] the scope of a patent grant,

and functions to forbid not only exact copies of an

invention, but products that go to the heart of an invention

but avoids [sic] the literal language of the claim by making

a noncritical change . . . .

Markman v. Westview Instruments, 517 U.S. 370, 373-74 (1996)

(alterations in original) (citations and quotations omitted). On

the other hand, “patent lawsuits charge what is known as infringement,

and rest on allegations that the defendant without authority ma[de],

used or [sold the] patented invention, within the United States during

the term of the patent therefor." Id. at 374 (alterations in original)

(internal quotations and citations omitted). Thus, Highmark argues

that the charts address the definition and scope of the ‘105 patent

but do not address whether its system infringes the patent.

A review of the charts submitted by Allcare establishes that

the charts do not merely recount the language of the claims at issue

and proffer a construction of such claims. Instead, the charts also

purport to include the relevant features of Highmark’s system. (Resp.

App. at 5-21.) But Allcare’s evidence indicates that the charts’

descriptions of features of Highmark’s system are based on Allcare’s

analysis of the Trigon system and the perceived similarity between

the Trigon system and that of Highmark. In fact, Hill describes

Allcare’s pre-filing investigation of its claims against Highmark

as involving “discussions with technical experts . . . who[] authored

an expert report in Trigon addressing one or more aspects of patent

 

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13

infringement of Trigon’s system.” (Resp. App. at 163.) 

In his declaration, Hill also states that “early in discovery,

Allcare provided Highmark with a claim chart in this case which was

of our pre-filing analysis of infringement against Trigon.” (Resp.

App. at 140 (emphasis added).) Allcare’s briefing and evidence

indicate that the Trigon charts were “annotated to take into

consideration the technical documents which Highmark withheld until

after discovery began in this case.” (Resp. Br. at 1 n.2; Resp. App.

at 154.) Allcare does not explain how it could demonstrate an adequate

pre-filing investigation of its claims against Highmark by producing

charts from Trigon that obviously could not have been annotated with

information Allcare had not yet received from Highmark through

discovery. Cf. Jundin v. United States, 110 F.3d 780, 784 (Fed. Cir.

1997) (noting Court of Federal Claims Rule 11, patterned after Fed.

R. Civ. P. 11, is not satisfied by “after-the-fact” investigation).

Indeed, the charts that are contained in Allcare’s appendix are dated

November 8, 2004, eleven months after Allcare filed its counterclaims.

Highmark also points out that while Hill claims to have conferred

with experts regarding his pre-filing infringement analysis, experts

were not consulted regarding Highmark’s system until after Allcare’s

counterclaims were filed. Hill states that he relied upon the charts

from Trigon as to claim 52 but based his assessment of the alleged

infringement of other claims “on discussions with appropriate technical

consultants such as Dr. Holland.” (Resp. App. at 163.) But invoices

 

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14

submitted by Dr. Holland to counsel for Allcare indicate that his

earliest involvement in this case was in September 2004, well after

Allcare had filed its answer and counterclaims. (Reply App. at 1-3.)

Other invoices indicate that Allcare’s remaining experts were not

involved in this case prior to Allcare’s filing of its counterclaims.

(Id. at 4-10.)

Hill, along with an Allcare expert, also purportedly supervised

Robert Shelton, Allcare’s vice president of licensing, in his

investigative efforts, which are discussed in detail below. But the

expert assistance Shelton received dealt with his preparation of charts

addressing the validity of the ‘105 patent in light of prior art,

not whether Highmark’s system infringed the ‘105 patent. (Mot. App.

at 91-99.) 

Hill broadly states that he was “involved in an

investigation . . . [that] included a review of a survey of Highmark.”

(Resp. App. at 137.) At no point, however, does Hill claim to have

directly participated in the interpretation of the Seaport Survey

results. To the contrary, in discussing Allcare’s pre-filing

investigation efforts, Hill cites Allcare’s interrogatory responses

which, in turn, recount Shelton’s interpretation of Highmark’s survey

responses. (Resp. App. at 163 (citing Mot. App. at 176-79).) Indeed,

these responses indicate that it was Shelton who formed the “opinion”

and belief that Highmark’s system infringed the ‘105 patent underlying

Allcare’s allegations. (Mot. App. at 165.) And Hill’s discussion

 

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15

of his supervision of Shelton never addresses Shelton’s interpretation

of the Seaport Survey results or any role Hill might have played in

such interpretation. (Resp. App. at 189-92.)

Allcare has produced a declaration by Hill, largely comprised

of other broad statements and general assurances, to support its

contention that it adequately investigated its allegations before

filing counterclaims. But the only documentary evidence of Hill’s

investigation are the charts developed in Trigon, which Hill

“annotated” with information that was not received until after

Allcare’s counterclaims were filed. (Resp. App. at 140, ¶12.) This

is representative: Hill’s statements regarding pre-filing investigation

are without documentary support while his statements regarding postfiling investigative efforts are supported. 

Hill’s general assurances do not overcome the lack of any

discussion or evidence of his specific efforts in investigating

Highmark’s system as opposed to the system in Trigon. Allcare protests

that it has not provided Highmark or this Court with notes or documents

verifying Hill’s pre-filing investigation because such things would

reflect Hill’s opinions and thought process and are, therefore,

privileged. An attorney’s opinions regarding a patent are privileged.

See Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH v. Dana Corp., 383

F.3d 1337, 1344 (Fed. Cir. 2004) (en banc). But Allcare’s decision

to claim privilege in briefing this motion is questionable given its

apparent failure to list documents related to Hill’s analysis on its

 

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16

privilege log. Cf. Rambus Inc. v. Infineon Techs. Ag., 318 F.3d 1081,

1106 (Fed. Cir. 2003) (affirming district-court ruling that failure

to disclose documents on privilege log was litigation misconduct).

And regardless of the existence of privilege at the time Highmark

served discovery requests on Allcare, Allcare has asserted Hill’s

analysis as a defense to Highmark’s motion for attorneys’ fees. (Resp.

Br. at 2.) Allcare has, therefore, waived the attorney-client

privilege in regard to the issue of its pre-filing investigation.

See In re Echostar Commc'ns. Corp., 448 F.3d 1294, 1300 (Fed. Cir.

2006) (asserting the advice of counsel as a defense waives the

attorney-client privilege for all communications on the subject matter

and documents memorializing such communications).

Even assuming that Hill’s opinions and mental impressions

developed during his pre-filing investigation are privileged, Hill’s

declaration provides almost no detail regarding his efforts in

conducting a pre-filing investigation. Hill simply asserts that he

was “involved in an investigation into the technology of Highmark,

Inc.,” prior to filing counterclaims and engaged in an “element-byelement comparison of each claim . . . to the accused Highmark system.”

(Resp. App. at 137.) But the specific investigation efforts that

Hill discusses refer to the Trigon charts, which were annotated with

information on Highmark’s system after Allcare’s counterclaims were

filed, and Hill’s post-filing consultation with experts.

The almost complete lack of detail in Hill’s declaration regarding

 

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17

pre-filing investigation efforts, coupled with Allcare’s failure to

produce any documentary evidence of such efforts and its contradictory

and suspect tactic of relying on counsel’s advice as a defense to

Highmark’s motion while asserting that such advice is privileged leave

the Court with the firm conviction that Hill performed either no prefiling investigation at all, or one that was inadequate. See Calloway

v. Marvel Entm’t Group, Div. of Cadence Indus. Corp., 854 F.2d 1452,

1471 (2d Cir. 1988) (lack of affidavit by attorney detailing pre-filing

investigation suggests no investigation was made), rev’d on other

grounds Pavelic & LeFlore v. Marvel Entm’t Group, Div. of Cadence

Indus. Corp., 493 U.S. 120 (1989); cf. Eltech Systems Corp. v. PPG

Indus., Inc., 710 F. Supp. 622, 637-38 (W.D. La. 1988) aff’d, 903

F.2d 805 (Fed. Cir. 1990) (citing Kori Corporation v. Wilco Marsh

Buggies & Draglines, Inc., 761 F.2d 649, 656-57 (Fed. Cir. 1985);

Underwater Devices, Inc. v. Morrison-Knudsen Co., 717 F.2d 1380, 1390

(Fed. Cir. 1983)) (patentee’s otherwise unreasonable pre-filing

investigation not excused by reliance on undisclosed oral opinion

of counsel because court could not “assess the reasonableness of the

opinion”). When Hill’s lack of or inadequate investigation is coupled

with the portions of Allcare’s interrogatory responses establishing

that it was Shelton who formed the opinion and belief that Highmark’s

system infringed the ‘105 patent, the Court is convinced that it is

highly probable that the only pre-filing assessment of the Seaport

Survey responses was performed by Shelton. This abdication of the

 

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18

responsibility for assessing the merit of a potential allegation of

infringement falls short of what Rule 11 requires. See Fed. R. Civ.

P. 11(b) (stating that by advocating a filing, an attorney certifies

the propriety of the legal positions and truthfulness of the factual

contentions contained in the filing); Pavelic & LaFlore, 493 U.S.

at 125 (explaining that the “signing attorney cannot leave it to some

trusted subordinate, or to one of his partners, to satisfy himself

that the filed paper is factually and legally responsible; by signing

he represents not merely the fact that it is so, but also the fact

that he personally has applied his own judgment”) (emphasis added).

 c. Pre-Filing Investigation by Allcare

Allcare insists that Shelton’s investigative efforts alone are

enough to stave off attorneys’ fees and sanctions. In doing so, it

insists that Shelton was qualified for the work he performed--

interpreting the Seaport Survey results, researching Highmark’s system,

and evaluating infringement--and was properly supervised.

Allcare’s evidentiary support for Shelton’s investigative efforts

consists of its responses to Highmark’s interrogatories. (Mot. App.

at 162-66.) Those responses disclose that after Allcare received

Highmark’s answers to the Seaport Survey, Shelton undertook additional

research on Highmark’s system via public information available on

the internet. (Id.) In fact, a demonstration version of Highmark’s

system with an example-user interface was available on the internet

 

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19

and apparently discovered by Shelton during his research. (Mot. App.

at 346-47 (letter by Hill to Highmark discussing the navimedix, vodium,

and clarityvision websites).) 

Shelton wrote a letter to Highmark’s chief executive and financial

officers and its general counsel in April 2002, suggesting that

Highmark purchase a license of the ‘105 patent and hinting that failure

to do so would result in a suit. (Id. at 164, 342-44). After Highmark

denied that its system infringed the ‘105 patent, Shelton engaged

in further research. (Id. at 165.) After his research, which

apparently included the review of thousands of pages of documents,

Shelton came “to believe” and “formed the opinion” that Highmark’s

system was a “smart system”--a system that, through the use of symptom

codes, could indicate an insurance provider’s approval or denial of

authorization for a medical procedure--and, therefore, infringed the

‘105 patent. (Mot. App. at 162-66.)

Highmark complains that Shelton is not qualified to perform a

pre-filing investigation because he is neither an engineer nor a patent

lawyer. Allcare counters that, as Allcare’s vice president of

licensing, Shelton is experienced in patent matters. He is also the

named inventor on two U.S. patents related to healthcare technology.

The charts prepared by Shelton were reviewed for accuracy by Allcare’s

expert, Robert Gross. And Highmark did not point out any specific

deficiency in the charts during its deposition of Gross or before

the special master, and does not do so now. (Resp. App. at 189-91.)

 

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20

But the charts prepared by Shelton and reviewed by Gross address

the validity of the ‘105 patent in light of prior art, not whether

the ‘105 patent was infringed by Highmark’s system. (Mot. App. at

91-99.) These are separate issues. See Lawman Armor Corp. v. Winner

Int’l LLC, 437 F.3d 1383, 1385 (Fed. Cir. 2006).

And Shelton’s qualifications aside, the plain language of Rule

11 states that it is the attorney that represents to the court, by

filing, signing, or advocating a pleading, that the contentions

presented in that pleading are warranted after reasonable inquiry.

See FED. R. CIV. P. 11(a), 11(b). However qualified Shelton may be

or however extensive his investigative efforts, they do not fulfill

the requirement of Rule 11. See Q-Pharma, Inc., 360 F.3d at 1300

(noting that Rule 11 “requires an attorney to conduct a reasonable

inquiry into the law and facts before filing a pleading”) (emphasis

added). Consequently, a violation of Rule 11 was committed regardless

of Shelton’s efforts. See S. Bravo Sys. v. Containment Techs. Corp.,

96 F.3d 1372, 1375 (Fed. Cir. 1996) (where evidence indicated that

attorneys had merely relied on client’s lay opinion that patent was

infringed, Federal Circuit reversed and remanded district court’s

denial of Rule 11 sanctions stating that if such were the case, “it

would be difficult to avoid the conclusion that sanctions are

appropriate”); also cf. Judin v. United States, 110 F.3d 780, 784

(Fed. Cir. 1997) (attorney violates Court of Federal Claims Rule 11,

patterned after the 1983 version of civil rule 11, by “giving blind

 

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21

deference to his client” regarding infringement analysis).

d. Reliance on Trigon Rulings

Highmark also complains that rather than perform an adequate

pre-filing investigation of its system, Allcare pursued infringement

claims against Highmark based on the summary-judgment rulings in

Trigon. The rulings in Trigon are relevant to the issue of whether

Highmark’s system infringed the ‘105 patent only to the extent that

Highmark’s system and the system in Trigon are the same. There is

no indication in the record that Allcare investigated Highmark’s system

or compared it to Trigon’s system before filing counterclaims against

Highmark. Yet Allcare points to the Trigon rulings as justification

for its claims of infringement against Highmark. 

In any event, the Trigon rulings dealt almost exclusively with

the issues of claim construction, unenforceability, and invalidity

of the ‘105 patent with regard to claim 52. The Trigon court’s

infringement analysis consists, in its entirety, of two sentences

in which the court declares, without elaboration, that “summary

judgment is inappropriate” because “there are genuinely disputed issues

of material fact.” (Resp. App. at 65.) The fact that Allcare obtained

a favorable construction of claim 52 in Trigon did not satisfy its

obligation to perform a pre-filing investigation regarding Highmark’s

alleged infringement of claim 52 before filing its counterclaim in

this case. With regard to claim 102, Allcare does not discuss, nor

 

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22

does the Court’s review of the Trigon summary-judgment ruling disclose,

how the Trigon rulings on claim 52 bears on infringement of claim

102, if at all. 

e. Availability of Information for Pre-Filing 

 Investigation

According to Highmark, Allcare had tools with which to perform

an adequate pre-filing investigation of Highmark’s system-–for

starters, the Seaport Survey. (Mot. App. at 68-69; 463.) Allcare

reports that the Seaport Survey was presented to healthcare companies

as an attempt “to identify organizations that [were] the leaders in

the electronic processing of authorization and referral requests.”

(Mot. App. at 521.) In reality, the survey was an effort by Allcare

to identify companies using healthcare information-management systems

similar to that embodied by the ‘105 patent to justify approaching

such companies about purchasing a license of the ‘105 patent. (Mot.

App. at 68-69; 342-44.) And, Highmark argues, despite Allcare’s

control over the Seaport Survey (Mot. App. at 68), Allcare failed

to ask questions to determine whether the surveyed companies’ systems

contained all of the necessary elements of claims 52 and 102.

Specifically, the Seaport Survey did not ask about the aspect of claim

element 52(c) that was ultimately found to be missing from Highmark’s

system, i.e., whether Highmark’s system permits the entry of symptoms

or symptom data for the purpose of tentatively identifying a proposed

mode of treatment. (Mot. App. at 521-37.) As for claim 102, the

 

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23

Seaport Survey failed to elicit whether Highmark’s system possessed

claim element 102(b), which requires a system to store symptom and

treatment data for a predetermined plurality of health profiles and

problems. (Id.) Nor did the survey inquire as to whether Highmark’s

system allowed for the sort of interconnection and interaction between

system users required by claim 102's preamble. Allcare’s response

does not address these alleged deficiencies. 

Instead, Allcare asserts that it requested documents relating

to Highmark’s system but Highmark, on confidentiality grounds, refused

to provide them. Allcare’s argument seems to be that Highmark placed

Allcare in an untenable position. First, Highmark sued for a

declaratory judgment, thus initiating this litigation and compelling

Allcare to file its counterclaims. Then, contrarily, says Allcare,

Highmark now insists that Allcare should have performed a better prefiling investigation despite Highmark’s refusal to provide information

on its system to Allcare. Allcare demands that these factors be

weighed against finding this case exceptional.

The Federal Circuit has, under some circumstances, concluded

that an alleged infringer’s failure to provide information requested

by a patentee justifies a conclusion that a case is not exceptional.

For instance, Allcare cites Hoffmann La Roche, Inc. v. Invamed, Inc.,

213 F.3d 1359, 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2000). There, the patentee claimed

that it had requested information on the alleged infringer’s

manufacturing process but was denied that information due to a

 

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24

confidentiality agreement. The patentee filed suit and stated in

its complaint that it was unaware of any technique by which it could

reverse engineer the alleged infringer’s product and thereby determine

the alleged infringer’s process. Noting that the alleged infringer

suggested no alternative method of gathering the necessary information,

and that had the alleged infringer simply provided the information,

as it eventually did, it could have avoided litigation, the court

of appeals affirmed the district court’s denial of Rule 11 sanctions

and § 285 attorneys’ fees. Hoffmann La Roche, Inc. v. Invamed Inc.,

213 F.3d 1359, 1363-65 (Fed. Cir. 2000). 

In this case, however, the alleged infringer has suggested an

alternative method of gathering information. Highmark notes that

it answered Allcare’s survey questions. But the fact is Allcare did

not ask about certain essential elements of claims 52 and 102. 

Regardless of the survey results, by all accounts a large amount

of information regarding Highmark’s system was available publicly.

Allcare even discovered a demonstration version of Highmark’s system

complete with a representative user interface. (Mot. App. at 346-47.)

This interface displayed what code was used by Highmark’s system (ICD9

as opposed to CPT) and what the code was used for (to indicate symptoms

rather than to determine a proposed treatment). (Id. at 347.) These

aspects of Highmark’s system played a key role in its defense against

Allcare’s allegation of infringement of claim 52 and the summary

judgment that was ultimately issued in this case. At the least,

 

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25

Allcare should have used available information to further assess

Highmark’s system before filing its counterclaims. But as discussed

above, available information was never evaluated by an attorney. 

f. Highmark’s Initiation of this Suit

As noted, Allcare claims that shortcomings in its pre-filing

investigation may be attributed to the fact that Highmark filed this

declaratory-judgment action and, therefore, Allcare was forced to

respond. At least one court has taken into consideration the fact

that the alleged infringer initiated litigation, thus pressing the

patentee to take responsive action. See Polarity, Inc. v. Diversified

Techs., Inc., No. C-06-0646 EMC, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 89802, at *14-15

(N.D. Cal. Nov. 29, 2006). The court in Polarity did not find

conclusive the mere fact that a preemptive declaratory judgment was

filed, but instead considered what the declaratory-judgment suit

disclosed about the circumstances of that case–-the alleged infringer’s

refusal to respond to attempts to communicate or negotiate by the

patentee. 

In this case, Allcare sent a letter to Highmark suggesting that

Highmark purchase a license to the ‘105 patent from Allcare to prevent

the need for litigation. (Mot. App. at 342-44.) Highmark then engaged

in communications with Allcare over the next year to assess the merits

of Allcare’s allegations and to dissuade Allcare from pursuing

litigation. (Id. at 164, 750.) Only after it became clear that

 

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4 The threat of a suit forces the alleged infringer to investigate the

patentee’s allegations and the existence of a valid patent, which is itself

difficult and costly, and forces the alleged infringer to decide whether to deny

infringement and be exposed to costly litigation or enter into licensing

negotiations. See Gerard N. Magliocca, 82 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1809, 1814-17 (June

2007) (noting that “no simple research can ensure that a technology is not

already patented” and that so-called patent trolls operate by obtaining patents

that have been dormant and then aggressively and opportunistically enforcing

them); see also John M. Golden, 85 Tex. L. Rev. 2111, 2125-30 (June 2007) (noting

that the weaker the infringement case, the more likely the alleged infringer’s

decision to settle will be motivated by the high costs of litigation, which

causes the settlement to fail to reflect the true economic contribution of the

patent to the allegedly infringing product); Marc Morgan, Comment, Stop Looking

Under the Bridge for Imaginary Creatures: A Comment Examining Who Really Deserves

The Title Patent Troll, 17 Fed. Cir. B.J. 165, 174 (2008) (noting that, in

addition to the high cost of patent litigation, which averages $2 million per

suit, investigating a patent itself can be costly). 

26

Allcare was bent on pursuing its allegations of infringement did

Highmark file its declaratory-judgment action. (Id. at 750.) And

cases such as Polarity notwithstanding, the Federal Circuit requires

that prior to filing a complaint of infringement, including a

counterclaim to the alleged infringer’s declaratory-judgment action,

the patentee “must be prepared to demonstrate to both the court and

the alleged infringer exactly why it believed before filing the claim

that it had a reasonable chance of proving infringement.” View Eng'g,

Inc., 208 F.3d at 986. 

Indeed, it would not be unfair to suggest that a patentee have

a reasonable basis for believing a potential target has infringed

before it makes its first demand that the target purchase a license

to use the invention or face the probability of an expensive

infringement suit.4 If Allcare had investigated Highmark’s system

sufficiently to have such a reasonable basis, Allcare would not have

 

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5 Undermining Allcare’s argument that it was pressed by Highmark’s filing

of a declaratory-judgment action into a premature filing of its counterclaims,

is Allcare’s decision to send Highmark letters requesting that Highmark license

the ‘105 Patent, disclosing Allcare’s efforts to litigate the patent against

other companies, and threatening litigation for “substantial damages” if a

license agreement were not reached. (Mot. App. at 342-61.) See Wembley, Inc. v.

Superba Cravats, Inc., 315 F.2d 87, 89 (2d. Cir. 1963) (stating that the

availability of declaratory relief reduces the unfair advantage of patentees who

threaten suit to obtain a license by allowing the alleged infringer to challenge

the validity of the patent and thereby prevent “an invalid patent from remaining

in the art of a scarecrow”); see also Arrowhead Indus. Water, Inc. v. Ecolochem,

Inc., 846 F.2d 731, 734-735 (Fed. Cir. 1988) (observing that the declaratoryjudgment act prevents alleged infringers from being forced into “an in terrorem

choice between the incurrence of a growing potential liability for patent

infringement and abandonment of their enterprises”) overruled on other grounds

by MedImmune, Inc. v. Genentech, Inc., 549 U.S. 118 (2007). 

6 “Patent troll” is a pejorative term used to describe an entity that

“enforces patent rights against accused infringers in an attempt to collect

licensing fees, but does not manufacture products or supply services based upon

the patents in question.” InternetAd Sys., LLC v. Opodo, Ltd., 481 F. Supp. 2d

596, 601 (N.D. Tex. 2007). In this case Allcare’s actions align with the sort

of conduct that gives the term “patent troll” its negative connotation. Allcare

used a survey with a stated purpose of identifying leaders in the medicalinformation-processing industry as a ruse to identify potential targets for

licensing demands, accused Highmark of infringing the ‘105 patent and,

ultimately, filed counterclaims for infringement against Highmark having never

performed an adequate investigation of such claims, and, along the way engaged

in questionable and, at times, deceitful conduct. 

 

27

been in an untenable position when it was served with Highmark’s suit.5

Allcare had only to marshal for its counsel all the knowledge it had

that supported a reasonable and good-faith demand on Highmark, its

target turned plaintiff. But if Allcare was caught flat-footed by

Highmark’s preemptive suit, it was not because Highmark acted hastily

or unduly aggressively but because Allcare had not done its homework

when it began trolling6 for dollars and threatening litigation almost

a year before Highmark filed its suit. 

 

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2. Allcare’s Continued Pursuit of Frivolous Claims 

Beyond the alleged deficiencies in the pre-filing investigation,

Highmark also insists that Allcare should have realized its

infringement allegations were meritless soon after the counterclaims

were filed and should have withdrawn them. According to Highmark,

Allcare was given a chance to inspect Highmark’s system in April 2004.

At this point, Highmark contends, Allcare should have realized

Highmark’s system did not contain element 52(c), as construed by this

Court, or the required elements of claim 102. But Allcare, who now

complains that any deficiencies in its pre-filing investigation are

due in part to Highmark’s refusal to provide confidential technical

documents until suit was filed, did not even take an expert to inspect

Highmark’s system. (Mot. App. at 751.) This, notwithstanding Hill’s

statement in a July 2002 letter that if, after being presented with

Allcare’s claims and supporting evidence, Highmark continued to insist

its system did not infringe the ‘105 patent, the only plausible way

to bridge the gap would be for an Allcare representative, Hill, and

“one or more industry experts . . . to make an hands-on inspection”

of Highmark’s system. (Mot. App. at 348.)

Allcare offers no explanation for its failure to inspect. It

does explain that it maintained its allegations of infringement of

claims 52 and 102 after the April 2004 inspection because it was

spurred on by the Trigon summary-judgment rulings and the fact that,

as an apparent result of the rulings, five healthcare companies

 

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29

licensed the ‘105 patent rather than contest validity. In this regard,

Allcare’s reliance on the Trigon rulings has some purchase. The

Federal Circuit has approved of a district court’s consideration of

the fact that other alleged infringers, similarly situated, had settled

cases with a patentee under § 285. See J.P. Stevens Co. v. Lex Tex.,

Ltd., 822 F.2d 1047, 1049, 1051 (Fed. Cir. 1987). But the district

court in J.P. Stevens Co. had considered the settlement of other cases

in concluding that attorneys’ fees were inappropriate despite an

exceptional-case finding. See id. And, as already discussed,

reliance on the Trigon ruling is only reasonable to the extent Allcare

investigated Highmark’s system and found it similar to that in Trigon–-

something that was never established in this case.

Highmark further argues that Allcare should have realized that

its infringement counterclaims were frivolous because Allcare’s own

expert, Dr. Holland, conceded in his August 2007 deposition that

Highmark’s system did not infringe the ‘105 patent. As an example,

the preamble to the 102 claim limits itself to a system including

an “integrated interconnection and interaction of the patient,

healthcare provider, bank or other financial institution, insurance

company, utilization reviewer/case manager and employer.” (Cl. Constr.

Rep., doc. #367, at 20-21.) Holland admitted in his deposition that

Highmark’s system does not provide for the sort of interconnection

and interaction required by claim 102. Thus, according to Highmark,

Allcare should have known that its infringement allegations regarding

 

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7 Regardless, the reference to these paragraphs in Allcare’s appendix

indicates that these paragraphs do not address the preamble limitation of claim

102, and thus would not rebut Highmark’s argument on this point.

30

the 102 claim were frivolous by this point.

The effect of a claim’s preamble is a matter of claim

construction. Pitney Bowes, Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Co., 182 F.3d

1298, 1305 (Fed. Cir. 1999). Hence, whether claim 102's preamble

limited the scope of the claim might have been arguable at the outset

of this litigation. But once this Court, on March 23, 2007, adopted

the special master’s report on claim construction, the scope of the

claims at issue was clear. (Doc. #375.) Five months later, when

its own expert recognized that Highmark’s system did not possess all

of the elements of claim 102, Allcare should have realized its

allegation was meritless.

But Allcare maintained its allegations of infringement of claim

102 until February 6, 2008 (doc. #481), well after claim construction

in this case clarified the elements of claim 102 in March 2007, and

also well after Allcare’s own expert’s report indicated that claim

102 was not infringed by Highmark’s system. Allcare explains that

Holland highlighted nineteen paragraphs of his report that supported

infringement of claim 102. (Resp. App. at 156.) But the report,

and specifically these paragraphs, are not included in Allcare’s

appendix.7 

Highmark complains that Allcare’s continued pursuit of frivolous

allegations increased the cost of the litigation. In support, Highmark

 

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31

states that because of Allcare’s continued pursuit of its allegation

of infringement of claim 102, it was necessary for Highmark to retain

a rebuttal expert. Highmark had to include arguments regarding claim

102 in its motion for summary judgment, filed October 31, 2007, as

well. (Doc. #400.) 

Just as with claim 102, the elements of claim 52 were made clear

by the special master’s claim construction. And, also just as with

claim 102, that construction made it apparent that Highmark’s system

did not infringe upon claim 52. Claim 52(c) was determined to cover

a “diagnostic smart system” as disclosed by the ‘105 patent, i.e.,

a system in which “the physician enters the patient’s symptoms and

the computer system identifies the most likely medical conditions

corresponding to the entered symptoms together with the generally

approved treatment.” (Infringement Rep., doc. #484, at 11.)

Highmark’s system uses the codes contemplated by the ‘105 patent--ICD9

codes--to identify symptoms but not proposed treatment. Proposed

treatments are entered into the Highmark system by the physician,

not generated by the Highmark system, and are indicated by a CPT code,

not an ICD9. (Id. at 14-15.) Again Holland’s report, served on

Highmark on June 29, 2007 (doc. #406 at 3), demonstrates that

Highmark’s system lacked necessary aspects of this claim element.

As the special master explained: 

Accepting, for purposes of this summary judgment motion,

Dr. Holland’s testimony that ICD9 codes are sometimes used

as data symbolic of patient symptoms, in the accused system

the physician enters data symbolic of patient symptoms (ICD9

 

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8 Citations to the appendix submitted by Highmark along with its

supplemental briefing (doc. #541) are cited as “Supp. Br. App. at.” Citations

to the supplemental appendix submitted by Highmark in the initial briefing of its

motion for exceptional-case finding (doc. #533) are cited as “Supp. App. at.”

32

code), and enters data tentatively identifying a proposed

mode of treatment (CPT Code). The ICD9 code is not entered

for identifying a proposed treatment as claimed. The ICD9

codes indicate the ‘condition for which the patient is

receiving treatment.’ [Citing Holland’s report] at ¶ 457.

They do not identify the treatment.

(Infringement Rep., doc. #484, at 14, 15.) Indeed, as argued by

Highmark, the summary judgment entered in this case in Highmark’s

favor was predicated on the concessions and recognitions in Holland’s

report. (See id. at 14-15.)

In its supplemental briefing, Allcare argues that during the

oral argument on the appeal of the merits, a comment by a member of

the panel of the Federal Circuit recognized that the construction

of claim 52 in the Court’s order on the summary-judgment motions was

different from that in the special master’s report. Specifically,

Judge Dyk commented that “what happened here was that you had an

initial claim construction from the Special Master which was then

elaborated, if you will, in connection with the summary judgment

decision.” (Supp. Br. App. at 3.)8 But Allcare’s argument places

far too much emphasis on this comment.

During claim construction, Highmark argued that claim 52(c) was

limited to the diagnostic smart system described in patent ‘105's

specification. (Cl. Constr. Rep., doc. #367, at 40.) Allcare argued

that claim 52(c) covered both the diagnostic smart system as well

 

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33

as a utilization review system embodied in the patent’s specification.

The special master declined to decide between these alternative

arguments, noting that to limit claim 52(c) to the diagnostic-smartsystem embodiment would be to impermissibly limit the claim by

reference to a specification, while to decide whether claim 52(c)

covered the utilization review system would amount to a premature

infringement analysis. (Id. at 41-42.) 

The special master did, however, construe claim 52(c) and

specifically construed the claim element’s use of the word “for” as

meaning “used to indicate the aim, or purpose of an action or

activity.” (Id. at 40.) Thus, as of the special master’s claim

construction, it was apparent that the “aim” or “purpose” of entering

“data symbolic of patient symptoms,” as described by claim 52(c),

is “identifying a proposed mode of treatment.” That this construction

should have alerted Allcare to the deficiency in its position is all

the more apparent when considered in light of the fact that, as of

the special master’s report on claim construction, all parties agreed

that claim 52(c) covered at least the diagnostic-smart-system

embodiment, which requires that the system identify a proposed mode

of treatment through the use of symptom codes entered by the physician.

Although a specific embodiment is not to be used to limit a claim,

it is meant to illustrate the meaning and coverage of a claim. See

Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303, 1315 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (“[C]laims

must be read in view of the specification, of which they are a part.

 

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34

[The specification] is the single best guide to the meaning of a

disputed term."). As the special master stated:

The step of “entering . . . data symbolic of patient

symptoms for tentatively identifying a proposed mode of

treatment” is disclosed in the specification as performed

by the central processing system determining the recommended

treatment protocols from the entered observed symptoms.

‘105 Patent at 6:59-67. The claim is not limited to the

specific embodiment disclosed, but the limitation must be

construed in that context. In the context of the

specification, “for” . . . require[s] that the proposed

mode of treatment must be identified by using the entered

symptoms to determine one or more appropriate treatments.

That is not done in the accused system, in which the

physician enters both the diagnosis or symptoms, and the

proposed treatment.

The special master’s conclusion that the specific purpose, under claim

52(c), of the entry of symptom codes was to identify a proposed mode

of treatment taken in light of the diagnostic-smart-system embodiment

makes it apparent that a system such as Highmark’s, that does not

assist the physician in identifying the illness or a proposed

treatment, does not infringe claim 52. 

Thus, Judge Dyk’s comment aside, the meaning given to claim 52(c)

by the special master was clear. Moreover, Allcare’s argument that

the meaning given to claim 52(c) in the order on the motions for

summary judgment was changed from that recommended by the special

master as a justification for its continued pursuit of a counterclaim

for infringement of claim 52 is undermined by its own counsel’s

statements. During the very oral arguments in which Allcare argues

that a changed claim construction was recognized, Hill stated that

“[t]he claim construction never changed.” (Supp. Br. App. at 3.)

 

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35

Allcare states that even the special master recognized this case

involved difficult issues. This is certainly true. But however

difficult some issues in this case may have been, it is no explanation

for Allcare’s continued pursuit of meritless allegations after the

lack of merit became apparent. In fact, on the same page on which

the special master recognized the difficulty of certain aspects of

this case, the special master acknowledged that it was clear Hill

and Allcare were taking a position inconsistent with Holland’s report

regarding the role of code entry for diagnosis and treatment regarding

claim 52. (Resp. App. at 236.)

Even maintenance of frivolous claims is not exceptional according

to Allcare. For instance, in Union Pacific Resources Company v.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation, 236 F.3d 684 (Fed. Cir. 2001) which

was an appeal from this Court, the Federal Circuit concluded that

this Court did not commit clear error in refusing to find a case

exceptional where it was alleged that a frivolous claim had not been

withdrawn early enough. See id. at 694. The Federal Circuit explained

that it is normal for claims and parties to be dropped during the

course of litigation, that a narrowing of issues is “sound judicial

policy,” and that the party seeking fees had not shown that the conduct

at issue was “exceptional or vexatious as compared to normal

litigation.” See id. 

Conversely, in this case Highmark clearly has shown that Allcare’s

conduct was not part of normal litigation conduct. Indeed, Allcare’s

 

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36

own explanations for maintaining its claims after Holland’s report

exposed them to be without support establish that Allcare’s conduct

was not part of normal litigation conduct. Specifically, Allcare

attempts to excuse as strategic its delay in withdrawing its allegation

of infringement of claim 102. Allcare withdrew its allegation that

claim 102 was infringed by Highmark’s system after deposing Highmark’s

expert, Dr. Jeremy Nobel, and concluding that Highmark’s contention

that claims 52 and 53 were invalid was without merit. (Resp. App.

at 158.) Thus, Allcare appears to acknowledge that it continued to

pursue meritless allegations as insurance or leverage in relation

to the opposing party’s contentions. This demonstrates that this

is not a case in which a party maintained meritless allegations for

a brief period or without reflection. Nor is this merely a case in

which the patentee took a position regarding infringement against

which summary judgment was eventually entered or with which the Court

disagreed. Instead, Allcare’s allegations were shown to be without

support by its own expert’s report and deposition testimony. Yet

Allcare persisted in its infringement allegations. 

3. Continued Reliance on Trigon

More generally, Highmark complains that Allcare has continually

referred to the summary-judgment ruling in Trigon and the licensing

agreements that followed as support for Allcare’s position in this

case. Allcare has in fact used the similarity of the Trigon case

 

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37

in its negotiations with Highmark and throughout this litigation.

Before the summary-judgment ruling in Trigon issued, Allcare suggested

that Highmark set aside $3.75 million in escrow to be paid to Allcare

as a license fee in the event Allcare succeeded on its summary-judgment

motion. After the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

ruled in Allcare's favor, Allcare wrote another letter to Highmark

apprising Highmark of the ruling, again requesting that Highmark

license the ‘105 patent, and threatening litigation. (Resp. App.

at 138.) Further, since its favorable summary-judgment ruling in

Trigon, and particularly in briefing the issue of the adequacy of

its pre-filing investigation in this case, Allcare has continued to

rely on its efforts in Trigon and upon Trigon’s outcome. 

“An infringement analysis . . . requires two steps: (1)

construction of the claims to determine the scope and meaning of the

asserted claims; and (2) comparison of the properly construed claims

with the allegedly infringing device.” Deering Precision Instruments,

347 F.3d at 1322. As already explained, the Trigon rulings did not

address infringement in any detail but instead focused on the issues

of claim construction, unenforceability, and invalidity. And Allcare’s

reliance on Trigon as a justification for maintaining infringement

claims against Highmark is further undermined by the dubious nature

of the Trigon rulings. In interpreting claim element 52(c), which

defines claim 52 as entailing the entry of “data symbolic of patient

symptoms for tentatively identifying a proposed mode of treatment,”

 

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38

the Eastern District of Virginia concluded that the word “for” does

not indicate a cause-and-effect relationship but, instead, merely

indicates a correspondence between symptoms and the proposed treatment.

That is, the method embodied by claim 52 is not limited to a system

in which the doctor’s entry of patient symptoms causes the system

to identify a proposed mode of treatment. But one need only consult

a dictionary to find that the word “for” indicates a correspondence

only when used with regard to quantities, such as “two for one,” or

in idiomatic expressions, such as “word for word.” See 4 Oxford

English Dictionary 26 (2d ed. 1989)(definitions A.VIII.24 & A.VIII.25

of “for”). And as discussed above, in context, the word “for” clearly

indicates a cause-and-effect relationship, not a mere correspondence

as determined by the Eastern District of Virginia. See id. at 24

(definition A.IV.8.a) (defining “for” as meaning “with the object

or purpose of”). Indeed, as comments made by the panel of the Federal

Circuit during oral argument of the appeal of the merits in this case

indicate, the use of the word “for” discriminates “between [a system]

where the computer, with its memory and analytic capability, picks

the treatment versus the situation where the physician picks the

treatment before the physician even begins to type anything on the

form.” (Supp. Br. App. at 6.) 

Moreover, once a claim construction was issued in this case,

the issue became whether Highmark’s system infringed the ‘105 patent

as so construed. The Trigon rulings became irrelevant. The

 

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9 See Stephens, 393 F.3d at 1273-74 (“A frivolous infringement suit [under

§ 285] is one which the patentee knew or, on reasonable investigation, should

have known was baseless."); see also Ultra-Temp Corp. v. Advanced Vacuum Sys.,

Inc., 189 F.R.D. 17, 22 (D. Mass. 1999) (“[U]nlike Rule 11, a failure to conduct

an adequate investigation, without more, is not grounds for finding a case to be

‘exceptional’ under 35 U.S.C. § 285.”); compare Judin, 110 F.3d at 784 (sanctions

were appropriate under Court of Federal Claims Rule 11 due to lack of pre-filing

investigation even where claims were “colorable”). 

39

maintenance of an infringement allegation that “the patentee knows,

or on reasonable investigation should know, is baseless constitutes

grounds for declaring a case exceptional under 35 U.S.C. § 285.”

Eltech Sys. Corp. v. PPG Indus., Inc., 903 F.2d 805, 810-811 (Fed.

Cir. 1990). Thus, even if an exceptional-case finding might not be

justified based on Allcare’s scant pre-filing investigation alone,9

it is justified when considered in combination with Allcare’s continued

pursuit of allegations shown to be meritless and with its use of other

tactics yet to be discussed here. 

4. Assertion of Meritless Defenses

Highmark further contends that Allcare asserted meritless

defenses. As already noted, on March 4, 2003, after the summaryjudgment rulings in Trigon, Shelton, on behalf of Allcare, wrote a

letter to Highmark discussing the rulings, proposing that Highmark

purchase a license to the ‘105 patent, and suggesting that litigation

might ensue if Highmark refused. (Resp. App. at 132-33.) Hill and

another attorney representing Allcare, V. Bryan Medlock, were sent

copies of the letter. (Id. at 133.) In the letter, Allcare

acknowledges that the Trigon rulings have no binding effect on Highmark

 

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40

in this litigation. (Id. at 133.) Nevertheless, in its original

answer, filed December 16, 2003 and signed by Medlock, Allcare asserted

that Highmark had participated in defending against the infringement

allegations in Trigon and was, therefore, bound under res judicata

and collateral estoppel to the orders issued in Trigon. (Doc. #22,

at 5.) Highmark filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings as to

the res judicata and collateral estoppel defenses, (doc. #28), after

which Allcare withdrew the defenses. Highmark argues that Allcare’s

answer increased the expense of this litigation and demonstrates

Allcare’s willingness to make meritless assertions. Allcare meekly

defends those arguments by noting that it attempted to negotiate the

issue without the need for motion practice and that neither the Court

nor the special master gave thought to giving the Trigon rulings

binding effect in this case. (Resp. App. at 167-68.) 

But Highmark’s point is that despite Allcare’s knowledge that

the defenses were without merit, it nevertheless asserted them and

thereby unnecessarily increased the issues and costs in this

litigation. Allcare’s attempt to negotiate the withdrawal of its

meritless defenses and the fact that the defenses did not prejudice

Highmark’s legal position do nothing to address this point. The

evidence of these actions firmly convinces the Court of Allcare’s

use of frivolous and vexatious tactics and supports an exceptional-case

finding and sanctions under Rule 11.

 

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41

5. Allcare’s Shifting Claim Construction

Allcare also allegedly engaged in various other acts of litigation

misconduct. The Court concludes, however, that most of the remaining

acts alleged by Highmark appear to be discovery disputes that are

likely in a complex and hotly contested case. But Highmark also

insists that Allcare’s claim construction, particularly with regard

to claim element 52(c), “shifted” throughout the litigation. Allcare

explains that it was merely engaged in “word smithing” in an effort

to bridge the differences in the parties’ proposed constructions.

The timing of Allcare’s proposed constructions, however, refutes this

explanation. 

As noted by Highmark, Allcare timely filed its proposed claim

construction under the Court’s scheduling order. (Docs. #59.) After

the scheduling-order deadline and after Highmark filed its motion

for summary judgment, Allcare changed its proposed construction in

a motion for claim construction. (Doc. #158.) And after the special

master had conducted a claim-construction or “Markman” hearing, Allcare

again altered its proposed construction in a chart of “claim terms

at issue and the constructions of said terms that are acceptable to

Allcare,” which was disclosed to Highmark on November 15, 2006. (Mot.

App. at 411.) Highmark points to other changes to Allcare’s proposed

construction, such as by way of an updated proposed order to Allcare’s

motion for claim construction after Highmark opposed such motion,

but these appear to be due to clerical error or otherwise explainable.

 

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42

(Doc. #269.)

Allcare responds that Highmark suffered no harm as a result of

its changing proposed construction. Further, according to Allcare,

any harm suffered by Highmark due to the delayed claim construction

in this case was not a result of Allcare’s changes to its proposed

construction. On August 12, 2005, this Court ordered all claimconstruction briefing stricken and new briefing due to the Federal

Circuit’s decision in Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303 (Fed. Cir.

2005). (Doc. #282.) Even so, the Court rejects Allcare’s explanation

for its actions. Without reasonable explanation, Allcare presented

Highmark with various constructions of the ‘105 patent’s claims, thus

complicating Highmark’s ability to advance its own claim construction

and to defend against Allcare’s elusive allegations.

6. Allcare’s Control of the Seaport Survey

One last allegation regarding Allcare’s conduct during this

litigation warrants discussion. Highmark argues that Allcare

misrepresented its role in the formulation and dissemination of the

Seaport Survey to the United States District Court for the Western

District of Pennsylvania in securing a transfer of venue to this Court.

Allcare argued that the Seaport Survey was not a “contact” with the

Western District of Pennsylvania for the purpose of personal

jurisdiction because Allcare did not control the Seaport Survey. 

In his declaration, Shelton clarifies the representations to

 

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43

the Western District of Pennsylvania at issue. Allcare argued that

the Seaport Survey was not a contact with Pennsylvania for

jurisdictional purposes because it “did not control the manner in

which Seaport Surveys, an independent contractor, went about completing

the surveys.” (Resp. App. at 115 (emphasis added).) Further, Shelton

insists “Allcare did not control how Seaport Surveys carried out its

surveys, nor did it dictate what companies Seaport opted to call upon.”

(Id.)

As for the literal completion of the survey, it is true that

no Allcare employee or personnel participated in the survey calls

in any way, and Allcare was not aware of the survey results until

days after the interviews were completed. But Allcare participated

in and, indeed, controlled every other aspect of the survey. As for

the design of the questionnaire, it appears that Allcare had total

control. Shelton states in his declaration that after initial

discussions with Seaport, he sent Seaport a draft questionnaire.

(Resp. App. at 116.) After initial test surveys were performed,

Shelton provided Seaport a revised questionnaire. (Id. at 117.)

Shelton later provided Seaport a supplemental questionnaire to be

used in follow-up interviews. (Id.) Seaport’s response to Highmark’s

subpoena confirms Allcare’s control over the composition of the

questionnaire, stating “[t]he survey questionnaire that we used for

this research was provided by Allcare.” (Mot. App. at 717.) 

The record also indicates that Allcare effectively controlled

 

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44

what companies were to be interviewed. Shelton states in his

deposition that he extensively participated in the preparation of

the survey and identified some companies that were to be surveyed.

(Mot. App. at 271.) Shelton provided a list of fifty companies from

which Seaport was to complete twenty initial interviews. (Resp. App.

at 116; Supp. App. at 22-24.) An email included in Highmark’s

supplemental appendix indicates that Shelton specifically identified

eleven Virginia-based companies to be surveyed as well. (Supp. App.

at 13-14.) As for the remainder of the Seaport Survey, which was

to involve the survey of 50 to 100 companies per month for several

months, Allcare directed Seaport to locate a list of other firms to

interview. (Id. at 117.) “The telephone lists were sourced by Seaport

Surveys from a provider . . . according to Allcare’s specifications”

says Seaport. (Mot. App. at 717.) Then based on the methodology

proposed by Allcare, Seaport selected companies, as well as the

specific person within a given company, to survey. (Resp. App. 116-18;

(Mot. App. at 273 (Shelton stating Allcare instructed Seaport Surveys

on "how to go about identifying firms--identifying individuals to

interview for completing the survey" ); Supp. App. at 21.) Thus,

Allcare not only provided a list of specific companies for Seaport

to survey, Allcare specified the sort of companies it desired to have

surveyed so that Seaport could obtain a list, and provided a

methodology for selecting companies and individuals to be interviewed.

In fact, when Seaport had difficulty getting through to a person to

 

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45

be interviewed at some of the companies surveyed, Allcare offered

to research and resolve the issue itself. (Supp. App. at 20.) 

The Western District of Pennsylvania does not appear to have

placed much weight on Allcare’s representation regarding the degree

of control over the Seaport Survey. Even so, Allcare’s representation

to the Western District of Pennsylvania that it “did not control how

Seaport Surveys carried out [the] surveys” is at best obfuscatory

and it strains the bounds of zealous advocacy. The evidence leaves

this Court with the firm conviction that counsel for Allcare, including

Hill, who presented the motion to dismiss to the Western District

of Pennsylvania did not live up to the spirit, and probably not the

letter, of Rule 11 in making the argument.

7. Conclusion Regarding Rule 11 and § 285

a. Rule 11

Having reviewed the arguments and evidence presented by both

sides, and having reviewed the record of this case as a whole, the

Court finds that no pre-filing investigation of Allcare’s counterclaims

was performed by an attorney, let alone a patent attorney. This alone

warrants sanctions under Rule 11. See Pavelic & LaFlore, 493 U.S.

at 125 (signing attorney may not merely trust subordinate or other

attorneys “that the filed paper is factually and legally responsible”);

S. Bravo Sys., 96 F.3d at 1375 (attorney may not rely on client’s

lay opinion); cf. Judin, 110 F.3d at 784 (sanctions were appropriate

 

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46

under Court of Federal Claims Rule 11 due to lack of pre-filing

investigation even where claims were “colorable”). Responsibility

for this failure falls predominantly on Hill’s shoulders. The record

establishes that Hill has been involved in this case since its earliest

stages. (See Doc. #4 (motion to dismiss filed with the Western

District of Pennsylvania, in which Hill joins).) Despite the

designation on the docket of Joseph Cleveland as lead counsel, the

evidence in the record shows that Hill has been regarded as Allcare’s

chief counsel. (See doc. #285 (letter from Cynthia Kernick, counsel

for Highmark).) Indeed, Allcare’s response to the motion for

exceptional-case finding relies heavily on Hill’s declaration and

description of the events in this case and, with regard to pre-filing

investigation, Allcare relies almost exclusively on Hill’s

investigative efforts in defending against Highmark’s motion. 

And as the foregoing analysis establishes, those efforts were

sorely deficient. Rather than perform a true pre-filing investigation

as to the merits of Allcare’s claims of infringement against Highmark,

Hill relied on the analysis performed by Shelton, the pre-filing

investigation from Trigon, and the summary-judgment rulings from

Trigon. Shelton is a layman, and Rule 11 does not allow an attorney

to wholly defer to his client’s analysis, particularly in the context

of patent litigation, which often involves substantial costs. In

any event, Shelton’s analysis, as well as the charts and summaryjudgment rulings from Trigon dealt with claim construction, not

 

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infringement. For the Trigon investigation and rulings to have any

bearing on whether Highmark’s system infringed the ‘105 patent, it

would have to be shown that Highmark’s system was the same, in relevant

aspects, as the system in Trigon. This was never shown. Hill provides

broad assurances that he performed a proper pre-filing investigation,

and he and Allcare rely on his opinions as proof of such investigation.

Yet, contrarily, Hill and Allcare assert that the opinions are

privileged. In any event, there is no documentary evidence to support

Hill’s assertions. 

Hill was also aware that Highmark could not be held to the rulings

in Trigon based on res judicata or collateral estoppel. Nevertheless,

Allcare asserted these defenses in its original answer. And Hill

joined in the motion to dismiss filed with the Western District of

Pennsylvania in which Allcare represented that it did not control

the Seaport Survey, despite the fact that Allcare clearly controlled

all relevant aspects of it. 

Hill is not the only attorney whose conduct falls short of what

Rule 11 requires. V. Bryan Medlock of Sidley Austin, LLP, signed

Allcare’s original answer and counterclaim. This pleading included

not only Allcare’s counterclaims of infringement, for which there

had been no pre-filing investigation, but also included the resjudicata and collateral-estoppel defenses based on the Trigon rulings,

which Allcare had previously acknowledged were not viable against

Highmark. 

 

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Joseph Cleveland, of Brackett & Ellis, PC, appeared in this case

on behalf of Allcare in January 2004, and was designated in April

2004 as Allcare’s lead attorney. In October 2004, the parties filed

their proposed joint claim construction. Thereafter, Allcare engaged

in needless alterations of its claim construction. And in responding

to the motion for exceptional-case finding, Cleveland and Hill argue

that the claim construction changed from the special master’s report

to the summary-judgment ruling. They argue that Judge Dyk recognized

as much during oral argument of the appeal on the merits, and that

this explains their continued pursuit of the infringement claims.

But a review of the record shows that the claim construction did not

change. Hill acknowledged this during oral argument before the court

of appeals. 

Finally, Hill; Cleveland; and Mike McKool Jr., Christopher

Harrington, Luke McLeroy, and R. Darryl Burke, of the firm McKool

Smith, continued to pursue the infringement claims against Highmark,

well after those claims had been shown to be without merit. Allcare’s

response brief points to the rulings in Trigon and agreements by other

healthcare-management companies to license the ‘105 patent as

justification for the continued pursuit of claims against Highmark.

But the claim-construction rulings in Trigon became irrelevant to

this case once this Court adopted the special master’s report on claim

construction in March 2007. Of course, Allcare might have argued

that it continued with its infringement claims in order to appeal

 

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49

the claim construction. But Allcare has not argued this, and it is

noteworthy that Allcare’s arguments regarding claim construction were

rejected by the Federal Circuit on the appeal of the merits. To the

contrary, Allcare acknowledges that it continued to pursue its

infringement allegation as to claim 102 based not on its merit, but

as leverage against Highmark’s claims. Regardless, when Allcare’s

expert acknowledged, by way of his June 2007 report and August 2007

deposition, that Highmark’s system lacked essential elements of both

claims 52 and 102, Allcare should have withdrawn its claims. Instead,

Allcare persisted, needlessly prolonging this litigation and increasing

its costs.

In light of these actions, the Court concludes that sanctions

are appropriate against Hill and his firm, Hill, Kertscher & Wharton,

LLP; Bracket & Ellis; V. Bryan Medlock and his firm Sidley Austin,

LLP; and McKool Smith. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 11(d) (stating that, absent

exceptional circumstances, an attorney’s firm must be held jointly

responsible for his Rule 11 violation). 

b. Section 285

This same pattern of conduct, by clear and convincing evidence,

exhaustively identified and examined here, justifies an exceptionalcase finding. The evidence establishes with a high probability that

Allcare was not some naive or passive participant in this litigation.

Rather, it pursued this suit as part of a bigger plan to identify

 

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50

companies potentially infringing the ‘105 patent under the guise of

an informational survey, and then to force those companies to purchase

a license of the ‘105 patent under threat of litigation. 

Allcare’s vexatious and, at times, deceitful conduct did not

stop there. Allcare maintained infringement claims well after such

claims had been shown by its own experts to be without merit and did

so as a tactic to provide leverage against Highmark’s pending claims.

It also asserted defenses it and its attorneys knew to be frivolous.

Indeed, just to have its case transferred to this Court, Allcare and

its attorneys misrepresented their involvement in the Seaport Survey

to the Western District of Pennsylvania. 

And Allcare’s explanations for its conduct fail under scrutiny.

Allcare complains that its inadequate pre-filing investigation was

due to the fact that Highmark preemptively filed this declaratoryjudgment action. But it was Allcare that began threatening suit almost

a year before this action was filed. Allcare complains that Highmark

refused to provide discovery-type materials so that the claims of

infringement could be properly evaluated. But Allcare concedes that

a great deal of information on Highmark’s system was publicly

available. For instance, in a July 2002 letter to counsel for

Highmark, Hill explains that he used an example of Highmark’s system

available on the internet and a “number of . . . publicly available

articles and white papers” in concluding that Highmark’s system had

aspects that implicated the ‘105 patent. (Mot. App. at 346.) Hill

 

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51

and Allcare failed, however, to provide any evidence, other than Hill’s

broad assurances, that this information was ever used in an

infringement analysis before the first letter was written to Highmark

raising the potential for litigation or before Allcare’s counterclaims

were filed. Hill and Allcare’s attempt to rely on Hill’s opinions

as justifying the infringement claims and the lack of documentary

evidence of an infringement analysis is all the more suspect in light

of their attempt to assert that Hill’s opinions are privileged. 

Further, Allcare’s argument that Highmark withheld the evidence

necessary for Allcare to properly evaluate its infringement claims

is undermined by Allcare’s own failure to take advantage of the

information that Highmark did make available. In the July 2002 letter,

Hill states that if Highmark persisted in denying that its system

infringed the ‘105 Patent the only way to proceed would be to have

an Allcare representative, Hill, and “one or more industry

experts . . . to make a hands-on inspection of” Highmark’s system.

(Mot. App. at 348.) Highmark made its system available for inspection

in April 2004, but Allcare did not send an expert to inspect it. 

Hill’s July 2002 letter also refers to the Seaport Survey as

supporting Allcare’s claim. But Allcare, which controlled all material

aspects of the survey, failed to ensure that questions were asked

about key aspects of the systems used by those questioned, undermining

the usefulness of the survey as a tool to properly investigate its

infringement allegations and exposing the survey as a ploy to identify

 

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52

targets from which a licensing agreement could be demanded. The

evidence presented firmly convinces the Court of these facts, and,

in light of them, the Court concludes that this is an exceptional

case. 

8. Discretion to Withhold Award

Allcare calls upon the Court, in the event of an exceptional-case

finding, to exercise its discretion and deny an award of fees. In

assessing whether an exceptional-case finding justifies an award of

fees, a court must weigh factors such as the closeness of the case,

the tactics of counsel, and the conduct of the parties that contribute

to a fair allocation of the burdens of litigation. See S.C. Johnson

& Son, Inc. v. Carter-Wallace, Inc., 781 F.2d 198, 201 (Fed. Cir.

1986). Allcare performed a poor pre-filing investigation of its

allegations, with no apparent investigation by counsel. Thereafter,

Allcare maintained its allegations after they were shown to be

meritless, advanced meritless defenses, and needlessly complicated

claim construction. Allcare also likely misled the district court

of the Western District of Pennsylvania. And while Allcare, as a

patent holder, is entitled to enforce the ‘105 patent, Highmark is

entitled to be free from the huge burdens of patent litigation to

the extent possible. Cf. Judin, 110 F.3d at 785 (before imposing

the burdens of patent litigation on an alleged infringer the patentee

must ensure there is a “well-grounded basis” for the suit). Fees

 

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53

will be awarded and sanctions imposed in this case. 

9. Inherent Authority

The Court has concluded that this is an exceptional case under

§ 285 and that sanctions are appropriate under Rule 11. There is

no need for the Court to exercise is inherent authority to award fees

and expenses.

III. Conclusion

The Court has concluded that the facts of this case support

imposing sanctions against Steven Hill and his firm, Hill, Kertscher,

& Wharton, LLP; V. Bryan Medlock and his firm, Sidley Austin, LLP;

Joseph F. Cleveland and his firm, Bracket & Ellis; and Mike McKool

Jr., Christopher Harrington, Luke McLeroy, and R. Darryl Burke and

their firm, McKool Smith, and that there is insufficient cause to

exercise its discretion to deny Highmark’s request for sanctions.

And in light of the conduct discussed above, the Court imposes the

sanction of monetary penalties to be paid into the registry of the

Court: $25,000 against Steven Hill and Hill, Kertscher, & Wharton,

LLP; $5,000 against Mike McKool Jr., Christopher Harrington, Luke

McLeroy, and R. Darryl Burke and McKool Smith; $2,500 against V. Bryan

Medlock and Sidley Austin, LLP; and $2,500 against Joseph F. Cleveland

and Bracket & Ellis. These sanctions are imposed under guidance

provided by subparagraph (4) of paragraph (c) of Rule 11, which limits

 

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sanctions "to what suffices to deter repetition of the conduct or

comparable conduct by others similarly situated." The Court expressly

refuses to order the sanctioned attorneys to pay any of Highmark's

attorneys' fees, believing the penalties imposed suffice, and believing

that equity suggests that Allcare, the beneficiary of its attorneys'

efforts in this and other brought and threatened cases, should be

the entity bearing the primary burden of its over-zealous pursuit

of Highmark. These penalties are to be paid into the Court, by way

of the clerk of Court, no later than April 30, 2010. See Fed. R.

Civ. P. 11(c)(4) (listing payment of penalty into court as permissible

sanction). 

As for an exceptional-case finding under section 285, the Court

has concluded this is an exceptional case and that there is no cause

to exercise its discretion to deny Highmark’s request for fees. Having

so concluded, the issue of the reasonableness of the fees requested

by Highmark remains. Highmark’s current motion addresses the

reasonableness of the fees based solely on estimates and acknowledges

that additional briefing and evidence in support of fees is necessary.

It is, therefore, ORDERED, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(d)(2), that

Highmark submit a brief on the reasonableness of the attorney and

expert fees it requests no later than thirty days from the date of

this order. Highmark must take care in its briefing to request only

those attorney and expert fees that it incurred as a result of the

conduct of Allcare and its attorneys as discussed in this opinion

 

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10 By allowing Highmark to file invoices under seal while limiting it to

seeking fees based on the conduct set out in this opinion and order and by

requiring Highmark to provide sufficient detail so that its request for fees may

be properly analyzed, the Court has essentially granted the relief requested by

Highmark in its Motion for Leave to File Under Seal (doc. #551) and its Motion

for Leave to File, Under Seal, An Appendix in Further Support (doc. #555), while

taking heed of the concerns expressed by Allcare in its response. Thus, these

motions by Highmark are DENIED as MOOT. Highmark has also filed a Motion to

Strike (doc. #561), which seeks to strike proposed findings of fact and

conclusions of law filed by Allcare in December 2009, well after briefing of

Highmark’s motion for exceptional-case finding was closed. The Court did not

consider Allcare’s late-filed proposed findings and conclusions in this opinion

and order and, therefore, Highmark’s motion to strike is also DENIED as moot. 

55

and order. See Takeda Chem. Indus. v. Mylan Labs., 549 F.3d 1381,

1390 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (noting that fees for an entire suit are rarely

awarded). As part of this briefing, Highmark may file under seal

invoices reflecting relevant attorney and expert fees. This and any

other supporting evidence, as well as Highmark’s briefing, must provide

sufficient detail and analysis to allow the Court to review the

requested fees under the hybrid lodestar approach. See Maxwell v.

Angel-Etts of Cal., 53 Fed. Appx. 561, 568 (Fed. Cir. 2002) (applying

hybrid lodestar approach to fee award under section 285).10 Allcare

may file a response thirty days after the date Highmark’s brief is

filed. Allcare’s response may address the reasonableness of Highmark’s

requested fees, and the impact any alleged litigation misconduct by

Highmark should have on the amount of fees. Highmark may file a reply

twenty days after the date Allcare’s response is filed.

 

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SIGNED April 1, 2010.

____________________________

TERRY R. MEANS

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

 

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