Pegasystems’ $2 Billion Appian Loss Harder to Cut Than Epic Case

Pegasystems Inc.'s promised appeal of a $2.04 billion trade secrets award will aim for at least a massive reduction to that figure, similar to one recently secured by an electronic health records company. Their legal path, however, will have to be much different.

Appian Corp. convinced a Virginia jury last Tuesday that Pegasystems recruited a contractor they called “our spy” to pass along secrets gleaned from a free trial of its enterprise software, among other acts of subterfuge reaching the highest levels of the company.

The award more than doubled the verdict Epic Systems Corp. won against Tata Consultancy Services ...