Carmakers Fight for Misconduct Defenses in Wireless Patent Suit

Several major carmakers urged the Michigan federal judge hearing a Fortress Investment Group-backed patent assertion entity’s infringement lawsuit against them to allow their defenses alleging misconduct to reach trial.

Factual questions remain unresolved over whether the asserted patents were obtained through inequitable conduct and Neo Wireless LLC acted with unclean hands during the litigation, the group—which includes Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., and Tesla Inc.—said in their Monday filing arguing against Neo’s push for summary judgment on the defenses.

During ongoing multidistrict litigation in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the automakers ...