Legal Malpractice, Negligence, & Patent

Our client and HBA Medical Group, Inc. filed a lawsuit against attorney Neil K. Nydegger and his law firm, Nydegger & Associates, for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty. The plaintiffs retained the defendants to prosecute and maintain US Patent No. 6,530,905, related to a self-sheathing needle for dental use, along with corresponding foreign patents. Despite our client and HBA's prompt payments for maintenance fees, Nydegger and his firm negligently failed to pay these fees, leading to the patent’s expiration.

The defendants' actions resulted in significant losses for the plaintiffs, including the termination of a valuable licensing agreement with Nipro Corp., which was worth over $1,000,000 and promised ongoing royalties. Additionally, the plaintiffs incurred substantial investments in the development and commercialization of the patented technology. The plaintiffs also alleged over-billing and mishandling of funds by the defendants, compounded by a lack of communication about the status of the patents and crucial deadlines. These failures culminated in the plaintiffs’ inability to capitalize on their patents and forced them to seek redress through the court for damages, including lost profits, development costs, legal fees, and further consequential losses.

After a 4-week long trial, the jury found the defendants were negligent and came back with a verdict of $61,500,000 in favor of our client.

Below is the link to the case details:

https://juryverdictalert.com/legal-malpractice/asbaghi-v-nydeggar