Benjamin Manzin-Monnin

Benjamin Manzin-Monnin is a trial attorney who focuses on intellectual property and complex business litigation. Since April 2023, Benjamin took a leading role in four major trials, all of which resulted in victories. Benjamin directed the primary technical expert in three, and prepared the expert who did not end up testifying in the fourth, while overseeing exchanges, meet and confer, submission of disputes to the court, and related argument to the court for all four trials. Benjamin’s experience includes managing discovery including complex source code review, taking and defending depositions, drafting and arguing motions, working closely with expert witnesses, and taking direct examinations of witnesses at trial.

Benjamin earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where he was elected to Order of the Coif. He earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering, with minors in Computer Science and Economics, from Columbia University. This combination of training in engineering and economics supports Benjamin’s engagement with both the technical and damages aspects of complex litigation matters. Benjamin is a member of the firm’s Diversity Committee and formerly on the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association’s Young Lawyers Committee.

Experience

• G+ Communications LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (E.D. Tex.) Benjamin was a core member of the trial team that persuaded a jury to find Samsung infringed on G+ Communications patents related to the 5G standard originally created by ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications company. In January 2024, the jury found infringement of two patents and also rejected Samsung’s claim that G+ breached its obligation of good faith negotiation, which exists because the patents are standard essential. In April 2024, we secured $142 million in patent damages, the full amount requested, in a retrial of the damages portion of the case where Benjamin handled the direct examination of an expert witness.

• Netlist Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (C.D. Cal.) Benjamin was a core member of the trial team that secured a victory for Netlist against Samsung in the Central District of California in an action to declare Samsung in material breach of contract regarding the supply of crucial NAND and DRAM memory products. The jury was asked to determine which party’s interpretation of the contract was correct and whether Samsung materially breached. The jury unanimously found in Netlist’s favor on both issues.

• G+ Communications, LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co. LTD., et al (E.D. Tex.). Represented G+ Communications in a jury trial against Samsung on patents essential to the 5G standard originally created by ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications company. The jury found infringement of two patents and also rejected Samsung’s claim that G+ breached its obligation of good faith negotiation, which exists because the patents are standard essential. The jury awarded a royalty rate of $1.50 per unit. The damages up until the trial were $67.5 million. Benjamin’s role at trial included directing the technical expert on infringement and validity of the patents-in-suit.
• Netlist Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co. (E.D. Tex.). Part of the trial team that secured a $303.15 million jury verdict for Netlist in a suit against Samsung involving five patents relating to computer memory technology. The jury also found willful infringement, and determined Samsung failed to prove any of the patents are invalid. Benjamin’s responsibilities at trial included directing the expert witness regarding infringement of three of the patents-in-suit.
• VLSI Technology LLC v. Intel Corporation (W.D. Tex.). Part of the trial team that secured a $948 million jury award plus running royalties for VLSI Technology in a suit against Intel involving a microprocessor technology patent. In its November 2022 verdict, the Austin, Texas jury found that Intel infringed the asserted claims in the patent and that Intel had not shown the patent was invalid.
• United Services Automobile Association v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (E.D. Tex.). Obtained jury verdicts of $200 million and $102 million for USAA in patent infringement trials against Wells Fargo in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The suits involved mobile remote deposit capture technology.
• VLSI Technology LLC v. Intel Corporation (W.D. Tex.). Represents VLSI Technology in a patent infringement lawsuit against Intel. The lawsuit involves two patents that improve the speed and performance of microprocessors. In April 2022, VLSI secured a $2.3 billion final judgment in the case following a March 2021 trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

News

Publications

• “Chapter 3: Opening Phase,” Patent Litigation (Third Edition), Practising Law Institute Treatise, co-author (2020-2023)