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Case 2:21-cv-00040-JRG Document 181 Filed 12/30/21 Page 1 of 8 PageID #: 9123
`
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
`MARSHALL DIVISION
`
`
`
`CASE NO. 2:21-cv-00040-JRG
`(Lead Case)
`
`JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
`
`
`
`CASE NO. 2:21-cv-00041-JRG
`(Member Case)
`
`JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
`











`
` §
`
`










`
`
`
`GESTURE TECHNOLOGY
`PARTNERS, LLC,
`
`Plaintiff
`
`v.
`
`HUAWEI DEVICE CO., LTD.,
`HUAWEI DEVICE USA, INC.,
`
`Defendants.
`
`
`GESTURE TECHNOLOGY
`PARTNERS, LLC,
`
`Plaintiff
`
`v.
`
`SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
`AND SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS
`AMERICA, INC.,
`
`Defendants.
`
`SAMSUNG DEFENDANTS’ REPLY IN SUPPORT OF THEIR MOTION TO STRIKE
`SUPPLEMENTAL EXPERT REPORTS OF PLAINTIFF’S EXPERTS DAVID KENNEDY
`AND ANDREAS GROEHN 
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 2:21-cv-00040-JRG Document 181 Filed 12/30/21 Page 2 of 8 PageID #: 9124
`
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`The pertinent facts are unrebutted: (1) GTP’s experts had included in their draft opening
`
`reports the same information GTP attempts to belatedly add in supplemental reports; (2) GTP’s
`
`experts made the tactical decision to remove this information from their opening reports in the
`
`hours before they were served; (3) only after Samsung served its rebuttal reports did GTP and its
`
`experts decide they wanted to provide supplemental reports; (4) GTP then waited nearly a full
`
`week to serve supplemental reports, five weeks after serving their opening reports on the Court
`
`ordered deadline; and (5) GTP never sought the Court’s leave to serve the supplemental reports.
`
`GTP’s claim that a “simple miscommunication” between the experts requires the supplemental
`
`reports mischaracterizes the deliberate, tactical decision made by GTP and its experts to remove
`
`the “facial recognition camera control feature” analysis from the opening reports. With expert
`
`discovery already closed for nearly a month, Daubert motion briefing nearly complete, and trial
`
`fast approaching, GTP provides no compelling basis for the Court to embrace GTP’s effort to
`
`reverse its deliberate, tactical decision and allow the supplementation.
`
`II.
`
`ARGUMENT
`A.
`
`GTP Does Not Justify its Delay in Serving the Supplemental Reports
`
`GTP argues that in the hours before service of Mr. Kennedy’s and Dr. Groehn’s opening
`
`reports
`
`
`
`
`
`prompted Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Groehn
`
`to exclude portions of their already-prepared reports on the assumption that the “facial recognition
`
`camera control features” do not infringe. Dkt. No. 160 at 4. Claiming shortness of time, however,
`
`does not excuse GTP’s five-week delay. GTP is the Plaintiff and should be expected to understand
`
`long before its opening reports were due what features it was accusing of infringement. Even if
`
`-1-
`
`

`

`Case 2:21-cv-00040-JRG Document 181 Filed 12/30/21 Page 3 of 8 PageID #: 9125
`
`
`there were a “miscommunication,” GTP’s counsel should have been aware of the contents of the
`
`infringement and damages reports. If counsel neglected to review the reports for accuracy and
`
`consistency, that should be no excuse. Further, if GTP believed it needed additional time for its
`
`experts to complete their opening reports, it could have sought another extension. GTP never did
`
`so. Samsung had already consented to, and the Court had granted, GTP’s request to extend the
`
`opening report deadline by five days. See Dkt. No. 96–1. Samsung has agreed to every extension
`
`GTP has requested thus far. Moreover, since the experts had allegedly already completed their
`
`analysis of the “facial recognition camera control features,” they could have left it in their opening
`
`reports and later provided notice of withdrawal, rather than blindsiding Samsung nearly a week
`
`after its rebuttal reports were served and the night before Dr. Groehn’s deposition.
`
`GTP does not explain why it took over one month to discover this “miscommunication” or
`
`what—specifically—that miscommunication was. GTP thought to supplement the opening reports
`
`only after Mr. Kennedy reviewed Dr. Ugone’s November 22 rebuttal report. See Ex. 4 at 21:5–13
`
`
`
` (emphasis added)).
`
`Notably absent from GTP’s opposition is any representation as to when GTP’s counsel discovered
`
`this “miscommunication.” If counsel failed to note withdrawal of the “facial recognition camera
`
`control features” from the draft opening reports until Mr. Kennedy informed them, GTP does not
`
`explain why it should be excused for neglecting to give the opening reports even a cursory review
`
`before they were finalized or at any time over the month after they were served. The intentional
`
`decision to remove the “facial recognition camera control features” may have been a poor one in
`
`hindsight, but that is not adequate reason for the Court to allow GTP’s untimely and prejudicial
`
`supplementation.
`
`-2-
`
`

`

`Case 2:21-cv-00040-JRG Document 181 Filed 12/30/21 Page 4 of 8 PageID #: 9126
`
`
`Lastly, GTP provides no explanation for why it took almost a full week after discovering
`
`this “miscommunication” to serve supplemental reports containing the information its experts had
`
`already included in, but then deliberately removed from, their opening reports. See Ex. 4 at 21:15-
`
`18 (“
`
`Decl. at ¶ 9 (“
`
`” (emphasis added)); Williams
`
`
`
`.”(emphasis added)). In fact, GTP waited until less than twelve
`
`hours before Dr. Groehn’s deposition to serve the supplemental reports. GTP’s actions here are a
`
`prime example of a party failing to exercise reasonable diligence, and the Court should not embrace
`
`GTP’s effort to characterize the situation differently.
`
`B.
`
`Any Potential Importance of the Supplemental Opinions Is Outweighed by
`GTP’s Decision Not to Include the Information in Its Opening Reports
`
`GTP’s counsel supervised the work of its three experts––Mr. Occhiogrosso, Mr. Kennedy,
`
`and Dr. Groehn––in preparing their opening reports. GTP concedes Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Groehn
`
`knew their “supplemental” opinions regarding the “facial recognition camera control features”
`
`well before their opening expert reports were due; provided the opinions in drafts of their reports;
`
`then made a deliberate decision to remove the opinions from their reports before finalizing them;
`
`and five weeks later reversed course again and decided to include the exact same opinions in their
`
`supplemental reports. GTP and/or its experts made a tactical choice to remove the “facial
`
`recognition camera control feature” analysis from their opening reports. Estech Sys., Inc. v. Target
`
`Corp.is directly on point. As here, the party knew the supplemental information “well before
`
`opening expert reports were due and made the conscious decision not to include” those theories.
`
`No. 2:20-cv-00123-JRG-RSP, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 135438, at *11 (E.D. Tex. July 21, 2021).
`
`As in Estech, any importance of GTP’s belated attempted supplementation is strongly undercut by
`
`GTP’s tactical decision to remove the “supplemental” opinions from the opening reports.
`
`-3-
`
`

`

`Case 2:21-cv-00040-JRG Document 181 Filed 12/30/21 Page 5 of 8 PageID #: 9127
`RESTRICTED – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY
`
`C.
`
`Samsung Would Suffer Unfair Prejudice
`
`GTP makes no mention of the factors considered in Estech when claiming that Samsung
`
`would not suffer prejudice as a result of GTP’s belated supplementation. Like the defendant in
`
`Estech, however, Samsung would need to re-open expert discovery, prepare for and take further
`
`depositions of Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Groehn, prepare a supplemental rebuttal report by Dr. Ugone,
`
`potentially prepare for and defend a deposition of Dr. Ugone, and prepare and brief supplemental
`
`Daubert motions challenging the supplemental opinions, with the Court’s leave. Estech, 2021 U.S.
`
`Dist. LEXIS 135438, at *10. These are significant, substantive tasks that Samsung should not
`
`have to undertake at this very late stage of the case.1
`
`GTP argues that
`
`
`
`
`
` Dkt. No. 160 at 5. Yet, the supplemental reports (1) introduce an additional patent not
`
`considered in Mr. Kennedy’s opening report; (2) more than double the total number of Accused
`
`Products at issue; (3) more than double the number of allegedly infringing features; and (4) claim
`
`$25 million in additional damages (nearly a 50% increase from the previous damages estimation).
`
`The supplemental reports themselves refute GTP’s argument that they do not introduce new
`
`theories. If allowed, they will dramatically expand the scope of the case with pretrial activities
`
`underway and trial fast approaching.
`
`GTP’s citation to Navico is also unavailing. As discussed infra, there the party properly
`
`moved to supplement the expert’s report. Navico Inc. v. Garmin Int'l, Inc., No. 2:16-CV-00190-
`
`JRG-RSP, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103113 (E.D. Tex. July 4, 2017). Further, the expert had never
`
`
`1 If GTP’s supplemental reports are not struck, Samsung respectfully submits that a continuance
`of the March 7, 2022 trial date would be necessary and appropriate. This factor further weighs in
`favor of striking the supplemental reports.
`
`-4-
`
`

`

`Case 2:21-cv-00040-JRG Document 181 Filed 12/30/21 Page 6 of 8 PageID #: 9128
`
`
`considered the opinion the party was seeking to introduce in the supplemental report. Id. at *5
`
`(“While Rose and Garmin arguably should have anticipated the issue, this is not a case where they
`
`had considered and yet intentionally ignored it.”). Here, in contrast, not only had GTP’s experts
`
`considered the information GTP now seeks to add by way of the supplemental reports, but they
`
`made the deliberate decision to remove that information from their opening reports.
`
`D.
`
`GTP Did Not Seek Leave to Serve the Supplemental Expert Reports
`
`A party wishing to provide an expert opinion after the deadline set by the Court must seek
`
`leave of Court. See Albritton v. Acclarent, Inc., No. 3:16-cv-03340-M, 2020 WL 11627275, at
`
`*15 (N.D. Tex. Feb. 28, 2020) (holding that “‘a party wishing to provide a sur-rebuttal [expert
`
`report] must first seek leave of Court’” (alteration in original) (citation omitted)). Here, GTP
`
`unilaterally served its untimely supplemental reports, over Samsung’s objections, without
`
`obtaining or even seeking leave. This is a flagrant abuse of the expert discovery process and
`
`independently merits striking the supplemental reports. GTP’s citation to Navico is inapposite. In
`
`that case, “Garmin served the Supplemental Report on May 26, 2017—the close of expert
`
`discovery and four days after Rose’s deposition. Navico objected, so Garmin now seeks leave
`
`….” Navico, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103113, at *3 (emphasis added). In Navico, the Court did
`
`not consider a Motion to Strike, but rather “Garmin’s Opposed Motion for Leave . . . .” Id. at 6
`
`(emphasis added). As GTP has never sought leave to serve the supplemental reports, much less
`
`properly obtained it, they should be struck in their entirety. See Kumar v. Frisco Indep. Sch. Dist.,
`
`476 F. Supp. 3d 439, 468 (E.D. Tex. 2020) (“Any filing after said date . . . required leave of court.
`
`. . . Defendants did not seek leave of court . . . Morrison's Supplemental Expert Report is
`
`consequently untimely).
`
`
`
`-5-
`
`

`

`Case 2:21-cv-00040-JRG Document 181 Filed 12/30/21 Page 7 of 8 PageID #: 9129
`
`
`DATED: December 28, 2021
`
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`
`By: /s/ Christopher W. Kennerly
`Christopher W. Kennerly (TX Bar No. 00795077)
`chriskennerly@paulhastings.com
`Radhesh Devendran (pro hac vice)
`radheshdevendran@paulhastings.com
`Boris S. Lubarsky (pro hac vice)
`borislubarsky@paulhastings.com
`David M. Fox (pro hac vice)
`davidfox@paulhastings.com
`PAUL HASTINGS LLP
`1117 S. California Avenue
`Palo Alto, CA 94304
`Telephone: (650) 320-1800
`Facsimile: (650) 320-1900
`
`Allan M. Soobert
`allansoobert@paulhastings.com
`PAUL HASTINGS LLP
`2050 M Street NW
`Washington, D.C. 20036
`Telephone: 202-551-1700
`Facsimile: 202-551-1705
`
`Elizabeth L. Brann
`elizabethbrann@paulhastings.com
`PAUL HASTINGS LLP
`4747 Executive Drive, 12th Floor
`San Diego, CA 92121
`Telephone: (858) 458-3000
`Facsimile: (858) 458-3005
`
`Robert Laurenzi
`robertlaurenzi@paulhastings.com
`PAUL HASTINGS LLP
`200 Park Avenue
`New York, NY 10166
`Telephone: (212) 318-6000
`Facsimile: (212) 319-4090
`
`Melissa R. Smith (TX Bar No. 24001351)
`GILLAM & SMITH, LLP
`303 S. Washington Ave.
`Marshall, TX 75670
`Telephone: (903) 934-8450
`Facsimile: (903) 934-9257
`
`-6-
`
`

`

`Case 2:21-cv-00040-JRG Document 181 Filed 12/30/21 Page 8 of 8 PageID #: 9130
`
`
`melissa@gillamsmithlaw.com
`
`Attorneys for Defendants Samsung Electronics
`Co., Ltd and Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
`
`
`
`
`
`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
`
`I certify that a true and correct copy of the foregoing document was filed electronically in
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`compliance with Local Rule CV-5 on December 28, 2021. As of this date, all counsel of record
`
`had consented to electronic service and are being served with a copy of this document through the
`
`Court’s CM/ECF system under Local Rule CV-5(a)(3)(A) and by email.
`
` /s/ Christopher W. Kennerly
`Christopher W. Kennerly
`
`
`
`CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZATION TO SEAL
`
`I hereby certify that under Local Rule CV-5(a)(7), the foregoing document is filed under
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`seal pursuant to the Court’s Protective Order entered in this matter.
`
`
`
`
` /s/ Christopher W. Kennerly
`Christopher W. Kennerly
`
`
`
`-7-
`
`

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