A quick update on the dispute between City of Hope and Genentech. In a prior column (Dec. 2, 2004), I blogged about City of Hope's lawsuit against Genentech for non-payment of royalties for certain protein technology. The jury had awarded $500 million (that's not a typo) to City of Hope and the state appeals court upheld that verdict.
The California Supreme Court has just announced it will hear Genentech's appeal in the matter. It did not provide any further comment, and it sounds like the main issue on appeal will be the interpretation of the contract. Genentech asserts that the lower courts' interpretation of the contract was unreasonable. It's interesting that the CA Supreme Court took up the case, as they usually are looking for new issues of law, not contract interpretation. Maybe it was the money at stake that swayed them to look at the matter. I've been trying to find a copy of the writ asking for review. Guess I'll have to wait to see what the appellate briefs present as the issues.
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