Genentech Wins Attorneys’ Fees in Kadcyla Patent Lawsuit (1)

Genentech Inc. will get back some of the attorneys’ fees it spent defending against Phigenix Inc.’s patent infringement lawsuit.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said it ordered Phigenix to pay the fees, saying in an Aug. 13 ruling that its conduct was needlessly aggressive and based on a “shoddy” investigation of its infringement claims.

The decision shows what actions could cause a court to order a losing party to pay the other side’s attorneys’ fees. The court faulted several of Phigenix’s actions, including its attack on Genentech’s patents in an administrative proceeding known as an ...