Minneapolis law firm Blackwell Burke P.A. successfully defended global manufacturer (and third-party defendant) Vishay Intertechnology Inc. in a summary jury trial in the United States Federal Court District of Minnesota. Cannon Technologies Inc. sued Sensus Metering Systems Inc. for breach of implied warranty alleging that Sensus had manufactured defective electrical meters. Blackwell Burke P.A. represented Vishay against Sensus’s third-party complaint alleging that Vishay had provided a defective component for Sensus’s meters.

A summary jury found that Blackwell Burke P.A. client Vishay did not breach an implied warranty to Sensus. In contrast, the summary jury found that Sensus breached its implied warranty to Cannon resulting in $1.9 million in damages. Following the nonbinding summary jury trial, the three parties entered into a confidential settlement agreement and U.S. District Court Judge Richard H. Kyle dismissed the case.

Summary jury trials are an emerging settlement technique in federal court designed to reduce overloaded dockets and give the parties involved a realistic assessment of their cases’ strengths, weaknesses, and potential damages. In a summary jury trial, the parties present their cases in a nonbinding, shortened trial with relaxed rules of evidence. Following the summary jury’s verdict, the parties are required to participate in settlement negotiations.

Blackwell Burke P.A. attorneys have a national reputation for trial success. If a case has to go to trial, our lawyers work tirelessly to win it. We enjoy inspiring our clients’ confidence, preparing pre-eminent experts for precise and rigorous presentation, developing our witnesses’ comfort and fortitude for trial, and partnering with talented trial graphics designers to present – simply and compellingly – your best case. Blackwell Burke P.A. clients appreciate our meticulous development and presentation of their cases, but what they appreciate the most are our results.

Blackwell Burke P.A. represents various corporations, businesses, and individuals in connection with all types of commercial and business disputes. Our broad commercial practice includes litigation in a variety of commercial matters including class action defense, antitrust issues, sales practice matters, licensing and registration issues, breach of non-compete and royalty agreements, personal property and non-residential real property leases, distributor agreements, replevins, prejudgment seizures, real estate matters, and all types of commercial-related matters.

Learn more about this case in Law 360’s article, “Cannon, Sensus Settle Electrical Meter Warranty Suit.” A link to the article is available here.

For more information about Blackwell Burke P.A. or this case, please contact Kandy Branch at 612-343-3235.