Oracle lawyers' $58 million fee award on the line in Rimini Street appeal
After 15 years of litigation, a copyright law battle between software support company Rimini Street (RMNI.O), opens new tab and tech giant Oracle (ORCL.N), opens new tab is headed back to a U.S. appeals court, as Rimini fights to overturn $58 million in legal fees awarded to Oracle in the case in September.
Rimini's lawyers at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in their opening brief, opens new tab this week asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reject the fee award as unjustified.
A federal judge in Nevada awarded the fees to Oracle last year after finding it had substantially prevailed on its copyright infringement claims against Las Vegas-based Rimini, which provided technical support for Oracle enterprise software clients starting in 2008.
Oracle first sued Rimini in 2010, accusing it of illegally using its software and support materials for Rimini clients. Rimini was ordered to pay Oracle $90 million following a 2015 jury verdict, including $58.1 million in damages and $31.9 million in attorneys' fees and costs.
Rimini in a separate 2014 lawsuit asked a judge to rule that it had stopped infringing Oracle's copyrights. The judge found in a bench ruling in 2023 that Oracle prevailed on some of its copyright allegations, though the 9th Circuit vacated most of that decision in December.
Weil's Mark Perry, a lead appellate lawyer for Rimini, argued in the company's latest appeal that Oracle had failed "after more than a decade of scorched-earth litigation" to succeed on copyright claims for which it once sought more than $1.4 billion in damages.
"It is exceptionally clear that Oracle is not the prevailing party and is not entitled to an award of the tens of millions of dollars it spent losing this case," Rimini told the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit.
Rimini said the case produced "a mixed-result" that does not warrant awarding fees to either side. In the least, Rimini argued, the appeals court should find that Oracle's fee award was "dramatically excessive" and should be significantly reduced.
Oracle and Rimini did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
-- Eight U.S. states and the District of Columbia have asked a federal judge to award them legal fees for winning an order in federal court blocking Kroger's now-abandoned $25 billion deal for grocery rival Albertsons.
U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson will weigh the fee request. The states did not ask for a specific amount, but the total could reach millions of dollars.
-- President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Jonathan Gould of Jones Day, disclosed $1.6 million in salary on an ethics form submitted, opens new tab as part of his nomination. Gould said he provided legal services to banking and financial clients including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs.
In another filing, William Kimmitt, a nonequity partner at law firm Kirkland & Ellis, disclosed $254,000 in salary on an ethics form submitted as part of his nomination to a post at the U.S. Treasury Department. Kimmitt said he provided legal services to BASF and Dell, among other clients.
Trump has turned to some of the country's biggest law firms to fill key slots, including Jones Day; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and WilmerHale.
Flush with cash, law firms eye uncertain economy
Law firm Venable hit with $10 mln lawsuit by ex-client in FDA fight
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Study: Millionaires flock to Las Vegas at unprecedented rates
Millionaires have been flocking to Las Vegas at unprecedented rates and buying up lavish properties, a new study has revealed. From 2019 to 2023, the number of millionaires moving to the Sin City metropolitan area has boomed by 166 percent, according to Rent Cafe, which crunched numbers from Census Bureau data. The year before the pandemic, Las Vegas Valley had 331 millionaire households. By 2023, there were 879. 'It's no surprise to see the number of millionaire households in Las Vegas tripling since 2019. We've felt that momentum firsthand,' luxury realtor Ivan Sher told the Las Vegas Review. 'The city has transformed into a magnet for high-net-worth individuals who want more space, better quality of life, and the energy of a city that's constantly evolving.' Sin City has become somewhat of a wealthy person's safe haven thanks to Nevada's forgiving tax policies. Nevada has no state income tax - a major perk for the rich. There are no corporate income, franchise, inheritance or gift taxes either. The cost of living is also relatively low. Meanwhile in neighboring California, the state taxes anyone making over a million dollars 13.3 percent - likely why Sher has seen a spike in wealthy former Golden State residents coming to Vegas. Actors Mark Wahlberg and Dean Cain, as well as singer Celine Dion and boxer Floyd Mayweather, are among the celebrities who have bought homes in prestigious Vegas neighborhoods over the years. Panda Express co-founder Andrew Cherng, DCM co-founder David Chao, along with other prominent figures in the business world have also opted for Las Vegas. Some of the valley's most expensive and exclusive neighborhoods include The Ridges and MacDonald Highlands, where the median prices of sold homes are $2.3million and $2.4million respectively, according to At one point it looked like Southern Nevada would offer an even bigger draw to the area for stars with a plan to bring Hollywood Studios there. But the bill died in legislation. 'The movie studio bill not passing was a missed opportunity, but it doesn't slow us down,' Sher told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. However the real estate broker remains hopeful for the future.
NBC News
3 hours ago
- NBC News
Getting to Europe is cheaper this summer — but everything costs more when you're there
Indeed, Tourism Economics found travel spending by U.S. residents abroad rose 8.6% in the first four months of the year from the same period a year earlier. 'This indicates continued U.S. outbound demand,' the firm said. While the economy and household finances always influence travel demand, 'today those factors are looking to have more of a negative impact than positive one,' said Nicki Zink, deputy head of industry analysis at the market research firm Morning Consult. In the group's recent survey, 31% of consumers said both the state of the U.S. economy and personal financial pressures are reducing their interest in leisure travel in the next three months, 'higher than any other factor we survey about,' said Zink. For its own part, the tourism market research firm Future Partners found 47% of American travelers are likely to venture abroad in the next 12 months, but 35% said uncertainty around U.S. policy changes had already caused them to reconsider or delay those plans. And in a NerdWallet survey last month, 11% of consumers said they'd scrapped international travel plans this year over global relations or economic uncertainty. Plenty of Americans are still packing their passports, though. Millennials, for example, 'are increasingly considering international destinations, despite the higher cost compared with domestic trips,' said Zink, adding that interest in destinations across South and Central America, the Caribbean and northern Europe have risen this year. Wealthy travelers are also still traveling with gusto, extending a trend that has intensified since the recovery from the pandemic. 'Our affluent clients are still going after those bucket-list adventures and once-in-a-lifetime experiences,' said Mandee Migliaccio, CEO of the New Jersey-based agency Stepping Out Travel Services. 'While they're definitely keeping an eye on the headlines, they typically won't change plans unless a destination really becomes unstable.' Migliaccio acknowledged she has seen some subtle shifts lately, with some clients asking to trim flight costs or deciding to skip a stop to keep things more efficient. 'It's not so much 'I can't go' as it is, 'How can I make this work for me?'' she said. 'People are being strategic, spending where it matters most, and opting for curated experiences over excess.'
Rhyl Journal
6 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Rhyl property used as homeless accommodation set for auction
48 River Street (The Cove Guest House) is to be auctioned 'on behalf of the administrators' by Liverpool-based estate agents Sutton Kersh on Thursday, July 24. It is owned by Big Help Homes CIC, who bought the property in February 2021 for £245,000 – for the July 24 auction, a guide price of £150,000 has been set. Big Help Homes CIC went into administration in March – its latest accounts show that, as of January 30, 2024, its liabilities exceeded its assets by £504,291. Last October, Big Help Homes CIC was the subject of a winding-up petition sent to the High Court. Its administrators, Grant Thornton, said in an administrator's proposal that Big Help Homes CIC was leased 18 properties by another company, Home Long Income Fund (HLIF), but had 'not paid rent to HLIF for some time'. It also claimed in this proposal that Big Help Homes CIC owes a total of £8.8million to its creditors. Two of its former directors, Peter Mitchell and his partner Colette Goulding, were declared bankrupt in May. Another 'Big Help' company, Big Help Project, is currently subject to a Charity Commission inquiry after a significant increase in its reported income was identified. Last July, 48 River Street was one of seven Rhyl properties listed for online auction with estate agents Allsop 'by order of a charity', but none of the relevant legal documents were attached to their auction pages. When contacted, Allsop could not disclose why they were subsequently withdrawn from auction. Then, in August, three of these properties – including 48 River Street – were put back up for auction via Sutton Kersh. No legal documents were attached to these properties' auction pages on this occasion, either. On August 29, all three properties' auctions, scheduled for September 10, were postponed. On September 2, a Sutton Kersh representative said they were pulled from auction because it didn't have 'formal instruction' for them. 48 River Street was also the registered address of another "Big Help" company, Big Help Holiday Homes Ltd, prior to this company being dissolved last year. Sutton Kersh describes 48 River Street as a 'vacant three-storey detached property which has previously been used as a 13-bedroomed guesthouse'. It added: 'Following refurbishment and modernisation, the property would be suitable for investment purposes or potential flat conversation, subject to gaining any necessary consents.'
