US District Court SDNY Docket Feed

Kohler Co. v. Signature Plumbing Specialties LLC - Patent Dismissal Granted, Summary Judgment Denied

The US District Court for the Southern District of New York granted Kohler Co.'s motion to dismiss with prejudice its claim based on the '614 water-faucet patent (count IV), mooting Signature Plumbing Specialties LLC's affirmative invalidity defense on that patent. Signature's separate motion for summary judgment on the '487 bathtub design patent (count V) was still pending, with Signature arguing prior art (the BT2006 tub sold years before the 2011 priority date) anticipates and invalidates the patent. The Court found no undue prejudice to Signature in granting dismissal with prejudice because Signature never filed a counterclaim seeking declaratory relief on the '614 patent's validity.

Sehra Waheed v. Frank J. Bisignano - Motion to Amend Granted, Virtual Hearing Scheduled

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted Sehra Waheed's Motion to File an Amended Complaint (Dkt. No. 23) under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a) and her Motion for an Emergency Virtual Hearing (Dkt. No. 25), scheduling a telephonic conference for December 2, 2025 at 4:30 PM. The court simultaneously denied Waheed's request for court-appointed counsel, holding that civil litigants have no constitutional right to appointed counsel, and certified that her in forma pauperis appeal would not be taken in good faith under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3).

Ford v. Shader: Court Orders Affidavits on Domicile

The court ordered both parties in the diversity jurisdiction case to file affidavits stating their domicile by December 9, 2025. The court noted that plaintiff's complaint alleges New York residence while defendant's attorney asserts Florida domicile, but no affidavit attested to the latter. The court cited Second Circuit precedent establishing that residence alone is insufficient to establish domicile for jurisdictional purposes.