In a high-stakes trade secrets dispute between The Boeing Company and electric-aircraft startup Zunum Aero Inc., Boeing challenged allegations that it had misappropriated proprietary information and interfered with Zunum’s prospective business relationships. Zunum asserted that Boeing improperly benefited from concepts related to hybrid-electric aviation, claims that were the subject of an eight-day jury trial. Following the verdict, the case turned on post-trial motions addressing fundamental legal deficiencies in Zunum’s claims. The court ultimately concluded that Zunum had failed to identify its alleged trade secrets with the specificity required by law and had not established that the information derived independent economic value from its secrecy. On that basis, the court overturned the verdict, setting aside findings on both misappropriation and tortious interference.
DOAR supported Boeing’s defense team through a focused mock trial exercise conducted in Seattle, providing insight into how technically complex issues were perceived and helping inform presentation strategy. Boeing also retained several of DOAR’s testifying experts with experience spanning the commercial market for electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, relevant engineering disciplines, and the software tools used in aircraft system modeling and validation. Together, this support helped frame the technical and industry context underlying the dispute as the case progressed through post-trial proceedings that ultimately resolved in Boeing’s favor.
