Awards/Legal Rulings
The first court the University of Pittsburgh applied to, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, declined to hear the case and allowed a change of venue to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
The U.S. District Court in Tennessee awarded summary judgment to defendants Townsend, Nutt, CTI and CPS on August 3, 2007.
On September 9, 2008, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court decision in favor of the inventors, calling it a "well-reasoned opinion".
In its ruling, the Appeals Court found that summary judgment was warranted because "...there is no genuine issue as to any material fact." The Appeals Court also found that "the University contravened its own policy on patents..."
The University of Pittsburgh's claims against their faculty scientist had been rejected and their bid for a share of the PET/CT scanner sales had also failed.
Dr. Townsend and Dr. Nutt were vindicated; their life-saving technology thrived and Pitt was left with a huge legal bill and a blot on their reputation.
Pertinent Documents
Summary Judgment, U.S. District Court
Appeal Judgment, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Invention Disclosure Form
Clinical Trial Agreement
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