John Dougherty represents and advises some of the world's best known companies on complex multi-disciplinary litigation and other strategic challenges. He currently acts as national coordinating counsel and lead trial counsel in consumer fraud, product liability and mass tort cases pending throughout the US. He has tried cases in the federal and state courts, using innovative dispute resolution proceedings. He regularly counsels clients on crisis management, litigation avoidance and regulatory matters.

His litigation practice focuses on commercial disputes and consumer-to-business cases, often involving matters with core scientific or regulatory issues. His traditional business litigation practice includes representing companies in disputes arising out of business mergers and acquisitions. His intellectual property litigation practice focuses on patent, trade secret and licensing litigation.

Mr. Dougherty is experienced in leading and coordinating “virtual firms” drawn from multiple outside law firms, including designing best practices for managing multi-counsel teams and setting and supervising their multi-million dollar budgets.

Mr. Dougherty was named a Maryland Super Lawyer in 2007, is listed in Who's Who in Intellectual Property Law and was named among the Top 15 Intellectual Property Lawyers in Maryland by the Baltimore Business Journal (2001).

Recent Representative Matters

• Co-national counsel and lead trial counsel for a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer in its defense of nationwide product liability matters involving popular prescription anti-inflammatory medications.
• Representation of a pharmaceutical company in a patent license dispute on a patent involving methods of producing recombinant DNA antibodies. Writ of certiorari granted and case remanded following US Supreme Court decision in MedImmune v. Genentech.
• Representation of a major international defense contractor in defense of a $50 million claim in commercial arbitration concerning an engineering design services contract for power supplies for the CATV industry.
• Representation of a chemical company in crisis response and subsequent class actions and economic and personal injury claims following toxic release.
• Representation of a major international hospitality company in a patent infringement case in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York concerning high speed internet service.
• Representation of a major international defense contractor in litigation in the US District Court for the District of Columbia concerning two patents for microchannel electron magnifiers for use in night vision goggles.
• Representation of a major international hospitality company in the United States Bankruptcy Court in New York involving allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and antitrust claims brought by a hotel owner.
• Representation of a major power tools manufacturer in numerous patent infringement cases throughout the US, including cases brought against foreign manufacturers and importers of laser-aligned power tools.
• Representation of a major defense contractor in arbitration involving claims arising out of the purchase of a company from a foreign seller.
• Representation of a major international hospitality company in the US District Courts for Massachusetts and Maryland involving allegations of unfair competition, fraud, conversion, and violations of the Robinson-Patman Act concerning the operation and management of a Boston-area hotel.
• Representation of a pharmaceutical company in patent infringement litigation in the US District Courts of Maryland and Southern District of New York involving patents for megestrol acetate suspension.
• Representation of a major hotel franchiser in a Minnesota state court pursuing breach of contract claims and defending contract and fraud claims brought by a hotel franchisee.
• Representation of a satellite television provider and its smart-card supplier in their defense of patent infringement suit in the US District Court for Delaware.
• Representation of a chemical company in a patent license dispute in arbitration on patents claiming compositions and methods of treating swimming pools.
• Representation of a Spanish machine manufacturer and its US distributor in patent and trade dress infringement suit in the US District Court for Maryland.
• Representation of the seller of a cable television system in a suit for specific performance of a $740 million transaction against a buyer for breaches of an asset purchase agreement in the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
• Representation of a Fortune 100 company in a defense of trade secret claim involving US and foreign subsidiaries.
• Representation of an Internet-based business in a defense of a patent infringement suit involving a patent on "fantasy" football game in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
• Representation of MCI WorldCom, Inc. in defense of indemnification claims brought by Cable & Wireless in connection with the $1.75 billion purchase and sale of an Internet business.
• Representation of multiple defendants in patent infringement action in the US District Court for Maryland involving patents on nutritional supplement products. Appointed defense liaison counsel by the court.
• Representation of a former Assistant to the President for Management and Administration in investigations by Independent Counsel (Kenneth Starr and Robert Ray) and US congressional committees.