Minnesota Judge Quits Patent Case After Federal Circuit Reversal

A federal judge in Minnesota recused himself from a patent case more than five years into proceedings after the Federal Circuit reversed his interpretation of a key patent term, leaving him flummoxed as to how to proceed.

Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the US District Court for the District of Minnesota had presided since July 2019 over the lawsuit Teleflex Life Sciences LLC filed against Medtronic Inc., alleging infringement of patents covering guide catheter systems. He ruled in January 2024 that all seven of Teleflex’s asserted patents are invalid as indefinite based on the court’s interpretation of the ...