IRVINE, Calif., March 16, 2026 – A team from Knobbe Martens secured a complete defensive victory for Edwards Lifesciences in a patent dispute with Aortic Innovations involving Edwards’ lifesaving transcatheter aortic heart valve (TAVR) product.
On March 13, U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika granted Edwards’ motion for summary judgment, finding the four patents asserted by Aortic invalid for lack of a written description, bringing the case to a decisive close.
This ruling concludes a dispute that began nearly five years ago, and allows Edwards, a market leader in prosthetic heart valve technology, to continue advancing innovations that improve the lives of patients around the world.
The Knobbe Martens team representing Edwards was led by Christy Lea and included Joshua Stowell and Brian Barnes. Ms. Lea and Mr. Stowell co-chair the firm’s Medical Device Litigation practice.
The victory marks the latest in a series of successes Knobbe Martens has secured for Edwards throughout the long-running dispute with Aortic across multiple forums. In October 2025, the firm obtained a significant win for Edwards at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in the first patent infringement case brought by Aortic. In a precedential opinion, the court affirmed the U.S. District Court of Delaware’s judgment of non-infringement in Edwards’ favor, rejecting Aortic’s appeal regarding claim construction. In parallel proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the team also successfully invalidated several related patents.
This result adds to a series of high-profile litigation victories Knobbe Martens has recently delivered for clients in the medical device industry. In recent months, the firm has secured a $634 million patent infringement verdict against Apple and a $381 million antitrust verdict in favor of Applied Medical.
About Knobbe Martens’ Litigation Practice
Knobbe Martens delivers resourceful, creative solutions for our clients that enable them to secure compensation when competitors tread on their IP rights or falsely allege infringement. Our litigators protect and enforce IP rights in state, federal and appellate courts across the country, before the ITC, PTAB and TTAB, through mediation, arbitration and out-of-court settlements, and internationally. We are about the end game, consistently delivering favorable results to protect the world’s most well-known brands, fast-growth companies and entrepreneurs. While aggressively defending our clients’ rights, we take a practical approach to problem solving, work diligently to identify potential risks and opportunities, and develop winning strategies.
About Knobbe Martens
Knobbe Martens protects the ideas that drive innovation and propel our world forward. As a leading intellectual property and technology law firm, clients worldwide rely on us to safeguard their products, brands, and technologies through strategic counsel and high-impact litigation. With offices across the U.S., our lawyers and technology specialists collaborate to deliver tailored solutions for clients ranging from multinational corporations to start-ups and emerging companies at every stage. Discover more at www.knobbe.com.
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