Analysis Group Supports Electric Aviation Startup's Successful Trade Secret Misappropriation Litigation Against Boeing

BOSTON, June 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Analysis Group, one of the largest international economics consulting firms, was retained by Holwell Shuster and Goldberg LLP on behalf of its client Zunum Aero, the plaintiff in a successful trade secret misappropriation litigation against Boeing and its subsidiary HorizonX (collectively, "Boeing"). An Analysis Group team led by Vice Presidents Peter Finch and Andrea Hugill assisted industry experts Professor Viswanath Tata and Mr. Luiz Andrade, who provided testimony detailing the disputed trade secrets in front of a federal jury.

In the matter, Zunum Aero, Inc. v. The Boeing Company, et al., Zunum alleged that Boeing misappropriated proprietary information on Zunum's all-electric and hybrid-electric aircraft. Specifically, Zunum alleged that Boeing misused its position as an investor with due-diligence rights to use Zunum's ideas and designs to develop its own technology before eventually interfering with Zunum's ability to continue to raise money. The disputed trade secrets concerned hybrid-electric aircraft and aircraft electrification generally.

Professor Tata and Mr. Andrade testified at deposition and trial that Zunum's design and powertrain trade secrets, respectively, were novel and derived value from being secret. Further, following a detailed analysis of the defendant's technical documentation and internal communication alongside information in Zunum's documents, both experts opined that there was evidence that Boeing benefited from the trade secrets and otherwise used them in its own projects for purposes beyond mere due diligence.

A federal jury in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington found that Boeing had misappropriated 11 of Zunum's trade secrets, unjustly enriched itself in the process, and interfered with the company's efforts to secure additional rounds of funding. Zunum was awarded more than $80 million in damages on its trade secret claim, an award subject to trebling in the court's discretion given the jury's finding that Boeing's misappropriation was "willful and malicious."

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Analysis Group is one of the largest international economics consulting firms, with more than 1,200 professionals across 14 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since 1981, we have provided expertise in economics, finance, health care analytics, and strategy to top law firms, Fortune Global 500 companies, and government agencies worldwide. Our internal experts, together with our network of affiliated experts from academia, industry, and government, offer our clients exceptional breadth and depth of expertise.

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SOURCE Analysis Group