Our longstanding and committed representation of Izzo Golf Inc. in a patent infringement case has taken another turn. Late last week, U.S. District Judge Charles Siragusa held the owner of the opposing company in the case, King Par Corp., in contempt of court. Judge Siragusa determined that owner William Baird had failed to answer discovery requests. He now has seven days to answer a set of interrogatories from Izzo and produce all documents as requested, or face additional sanctions that could include fines or jail time.

Harris Beach has represented Izzo in the matter, based on claims of patent infringement relating to a two-strap golf bag design, since 2002. A jury ruled in favor of our client in 2010, but the case was subsequently stayed when King Par filed for bankruptcy protection. (A bankruptcy judge later found that Baird had engaged in fraud.)

When the case resumed after the stay was lifted, Judge Siragusa ruled in Izzo’s favor and awarded the company $12 million. In a related case filed against the owner of King Par, Izzo obtained an $8.9 million judgment against Mr. Baird individually. The discovery was necessary to establish Baird’s assets to pay the judgment.

Read about the contempt citation in this Law360 article, which quotes partner Neal Slifkin.