Hueston Hennigan secured a complete defense victory for The Boeing Company when the court overturned the $72 million jury verdict in favor of Zunum in a high-profile trade secrets case.
The judge granted Boeing’s motion for judgment as a matter of law, stating “Boeing prevailed in all claims in this matter.” In addition to defeating Zunum’s claims, Boeing is entitled to $12 million from Zunum on Boeing’s cross claim.
In 2017, Boeing invested in a small aerospace startup called Zunum Aero, which ultimately shut down operations. Two years later, Zunum sued Boeing for purported misappropriation of 19 alleged trade secrets, breach of various confidentiality agreements, and tortious interference with business expectancies, claiming Boeing’s wrongful conduct caused it to go out of business. Despite Boeing’s good faith and proper conduct, Zunum sought nearly $500 million in damages from Boeing.
Initially represented by another law firm, Boeing retained Hueston Hennigan in 2023 to handle the final months of fact discovery, all expert discovery, and trial. At the summary judgment stage, Hueston Hennigan prevailed on Boeing’s counterclaims for breach of contract, obtaining an award exceeding $12 million. The case then proceeded to trial on Zunum’s affirmative claims, and in May 2024, the jury delivered a mixed verdict, which included $72 million in damages. Hueston Hennigan promptly filed a motion for judgment as a matter of law to overturn the portions of the jury’s verdict in Zunum’s favor, and the court granted the motion in full. The court adopted Boeing’s argument that Zunum had failed to present substantial evidence supporting any of its claims. The court dismissed all Zunum’s claims with prejudice and ordered judgment in Boeing’s favor in full.
The team included John C. Hueston, Moez M. Kaba, Sourabh Mishra, Yegor Fursevich, Emily Michael Munson, Justin M. Greer, Karen Ding, Tate Harshbarger, Cassidy O’Sullivan, Samantha Fidler, Melanie Hess and Chandler Matz.
Coverage appeared in the Daily Journal, Seattle Times, Law360, Bloomberg Law and Reuters, among other publications.