Apple Rebuked For Shoddy Venue Probe In Texas Transfer Dispute

West Texas Judge Alan Albright took Apple Inc. to task Friday for putting forward an “unreliable” and “evasive” expert to explain why a patent-infringement case against it should be transferred to California, contrasting Apple’s shortcomings with the “exceptional” performance of Meta Platforms Inc. and Google LLC experts in venue transfer disputes.

In his order amending the case schedule to allow both Apple and plaintiff Vivato Technologies to submit new briefs on the venue question, Albright singled out incomplete fact-finding by Apple financial manager Mark Rollins—whom the iPhone maker typically calls as a venue-transfer witness.

“Apple’s venue declarant has provided such ...