Starbucks, Inventor Settle Defamation Suit Over Attorney Remark

Starbucks Corp. and patent monetization executive Leigh Rothschild told a federal court in Florida they’ve agreed to settle a defamation dispute over a remark the coffee chain’s attorney made about Rothschild’s business model.

The two sides asked for a pause while they’re “preparing and finalizing” a settlement agreement, according to a Thursday filing. The two sides said the pause shouldn’t apply to the inventor’s case against Rachael Lamkin, a Baker Botts partner who represents Starbucks.

Rothschild sued both Lamkin and her client over a statement she made in an interview for a Bloomberg Law news article in which she described ...