Boeing Ducks $72 Million Verdict as Judge Finds No Trade Secrets

The Boeing Co. convinced a Washington state federal judge to scrap a $72 million jury verdict because a startup failed to adequately define allegedly stolen alternative fuel airplane trade secrets or establish their worth.

Zunum Areo Inc. provided “only vague and amorphous descriptions” at trial, falling “well short of providing the specific concrete examples” required to establish trade secrets, Judge James L. Robart ruled Wednesday in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. Zunum also failed to provide sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to determine the alleged secrets had economic value from not being generally known, ...