Judge’s Litigation Funding Probe Reveals IP Edge’s Human Toll

Sally Pugal didn’t want to travel from her home in Houston to tell a federal judge in Delaware how she’d gotten involved as a patent owner in a litigation campaign.

The surgeon’s assistant texted the office manager of IP Edge LLC, a prolific patent monetization company tied to hundreds of infringement suits, repeatedly over the course of several days that she was uncomfortable appearing in court.

“I have nightmares almost every night thinking about it and so stressed,” Pugal texted in October 2022 to Linh Deitz, IP Edge’s office manager, according to communications made public by a federal judge who ...