Starbucks, Baker Botts Partner Defamed Inventor, Suit Says

Prolific patent monetization executive Leigh Rothschild accused Starbucks Corp. and a Baker Botts LLP partner of defaming him in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Rothschild cited a statement from attorney Rachael Lamkin included in an Oct. 10 Bloomberg Law article. That line—“And with Leigh Rothschild, we never get the money because the shells go bankrupt”—was false and defamatory, according to a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Rothschild and one of his companies, Analytical Technologies LLC, sued Starbucks and at least 19 other restaurant chains and food-ordering services for patent infringement starting ...