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Robert G. Abrams
1299 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004
+1 202.383.6935
+1 202.383.6610 (Fax)
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Co-Chair, Global Litigation
Robert (Bob) Abrams is Co-Chair of Howrey’s Global Litigation practice and has nearly 30 years of trial experience in cases involving antitrust, patents, trade secrets, dealer terminations, contract disputes, tortious interference and environmental issues. In recent years, Mr. Abrams has been lead counsel in lengthy jury trials focusing on, among other claims, antitrust, patent misappropriation and conversion, and copyright infringement. He was also co-counsel in a class action involving substantial and complex contract issues that was tried–and then retried–to a jury. Over his career, Mr. Abrams also was lead counsel in numerous other bench and jury trials and in governmental investigations initiated by DOJ, EPA and the California Air Resources Board.
In the appellate area, Mr. Abrams has argued in most of the US Courts of Appeal. Most recently, Mr. Abrams argued before the Ninth Circuit, which affirmed the lower court’s dismissal of a highly publicized suit under the Alien Torts Claims Act: Corrie v. Caterpillar Inc., No.05-36210, DC No. CV-05-05192-FDB (9th Cir. Sept. 17, 2007).
"Our success really is focused on our clients and their needs. Their cases and their matters are ours and we embrace them and own them. We know that it’s not only the clients' businesses and reputations that are at stake, it’s our own. Their success is our success: they want to win and we want to win, and together we win as a team."
Representative Highlights
- HotSamba Inc. v. Caterpillar Inc. Plaintiff HotSamba sought damages of more than $420 million from Caterpillar based on claims of breach of a software license agreement, copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets. Caterpillar pursued counterclaims of $2 million for breach of contract and fraud. The jury returned a verdict in favor of HotSamba for $5.5 million and in favor of Caterpillar for $500,000.
- Caterpillar Inc. v. Sturman Industries et al. (Sturman Jury Trial I). Caterpillar filed suit alleging ownership and inventorship of patents issued to Sturman, misappropriation of trade secrets and conversion of various patent rights. The jury found for Caterpillar, and the court ordered a constructive trust imposed over the two patents and ordered Sturman to specifically perform the contract by assigning to Caterpillar the entire right, title and interest in both patents and the applications from which they were derived.
- Caterpillar Inc. v. Sturman Industries et al. (Sturman Bench Trial). During the first jury trial, after the jury left for the day, the court conducted a bench trial regarding Sturman’s inventorship claim involving a Caterpillar patent. The trial court rendered a decision in Sturman’s favor, with no money damages. Caterpillar appealed, and the Federal Circuit reversed and rendered judgment in Caterpillar’s favor.
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Admissions
- District of Columbia, 1975
Courts & Adjudicative Bodies
- United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- United States Court of Federal Claims
- United States Supreme Court
Clerkship
- Hon. William E. Doyle, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, 1972-1973
Education
- George Washington University Law School (JD, 1972) cum laude George Washington University Law Review, Managing Editor (1971-72)
- Colgate University (BA, 1968)
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