A year and a half ago Whirlpool Corportion filed a lawsuit in a Texas federal court accusing TST Water LLC of willful patent infringement on refrigerator water filters. Yesterday, Friday, March 10, 2017, a Texas federal jury concurred with Whirlpool’s legal team and awarded more than $7-and-a-half million dollars to the appliance manufacturer in damages.
The Texas jury returned the verdict and promptly awarded the Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corporation $7.6-million in damages, finding that TST Water filters clearly infringed on Whirlpool’s patent and design. The jury also affirmed the validity of Whirlpool’s patent and awarded damages based on its finding of willful infringement.
TST Water is headquartered in Temecula, California, and the jury verdict was handed down in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleging that certain water filters manufactured and sold by TST Water infringed on Whirlpool’s U.S. Patent No. 7,000,894.
Brett Dibkey is Vice President of Integrated Business Units for Whirlpool. He says, “Whirlpool succeeds by innovating, and we protect our innovations with patents.” He adds, “We are grateful for the jury’s assistance in enforcing our patent to ensure that we can continue delivering great products to our consumers.”
There were seven claims made by Whirlpool in the case against the brand name WaterSentinel, manufactured and sold by TST Water, alleging infringement in each claim. The trial consumed the better part of the past week, and the jury deliberated for roughly three hours before finding in Whirlpool’s favor on each count.
