Jury Awards $382 Million in Damages
Applied Medical announced today a significant legal victory that should help open the healthcare market to innovation and lower costs. A U.S. District Court jury unanimously found Medtronic, Inc. liable for violations of federal and state antitrust laws and awarded $381,705,005 in damages.
Applied Medical, represented by Knobbe Martens, filed the case in February 2023, alleging that Medtronic engaged in exclusionary unlawful bundling and exclusive dealing practices to suppress competition in the market for advanced bipolar vessel sealing devices.
After a 10-day trial in Los Angeles, the jury found that Medtronic violated the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and the California Cartwright Act through its use of restrictive contracts with healthcare providers. Following this verdict, Applied Medical intends to seek injunctive relief to prohibit Medtronic from enforcing these unlawful restrictions.
“We are profoundly grateful to the jury for their time, their attention to the evidence, and their decisive verdict,” said Gary Johnson, group president advanced energy, who represented Applied Medical throughout the trial. “This is not just a legal victory for Applied; it is a validation of fair competition. We believe this decision marks a turning point for hospitals and healthcare providers struggling to dismantle complex contractual barriers that have long prevented them from access to innovation, choice and value.”
