University of Pittsburgh v. David W. Townsend, Ronald Nutt, CTI Molecular Imaging, Inc and CTI PET Systems, Inc.

Plaintiff Assertions: The University of Pittsburgh filed suit against their former researcher, his collaborator and the company who financed the work alleging fraud, conspiracy and conversion.

Damages Sought: Ownership rights in the patents, actual damages (estimated at approximately $12 million) and punitive damages

Filed: July 7, 2004 U.S. District Court, Western District Pennsylvania and
April 19, 2005 U.S. District Court, Eastern District Tennessee

Defendants' Assertions: The inventors' defense was multi-fold; they maintained that the University's claims had no merit, could not be substantiated and that the statute of limitations for filing had expired.