On June 15, 2017, a Delaware jury returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Williams & Connolly clients Alcon Laboratories Holding Corp. and Alcon Research, Ltd. Claiming damages of over $400 million, the plaintiff, a medical device start-up, brought multiple claims related to purported misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information, as well as contract-related claims arising from a stock purchase agreement involving milestone payments. After winning summary judgment on the trade secrets claims, the Williams & Connolly team tried the contract claims to a complete defense verdict by a Delaware state jury.
On March 20, 2018, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the victory for Alcon. The appeal was argued by David Riskin.
Heidi Hubbard, Dan Shanahan, and David Riskin tried the jury trial, with a team that included Tamara Rubb, Michelle Hood, Timika Adams-Sherman, Mimi Woldesemiat, and Sarah Topping.