backKing & Spalding secured a complete defense verdict for DoorDash in a patent infringement trial brought by Fall Line Patents, LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas before Judge Robert W. Schroeder III. On July 30, 2026, after a four-day trial in Texarkana, a jury found that Fall Line failed to prove infringement of the asserted patent claim, resulting in a complete victory for DoorDash.
The King & Spalding team first persuaded the Court to adopt new constructions/definitions for key patent claim terms, despite prior defendants’ unsuccessful attempts. The team then successfully challenged plaintiff's damages theories, reducing plaintiff's claimed damages from approximately $1.5 billion before trial to $38 million at trial. At trial, the team methodically demonstrated why plaintiff's patent, originally filed in 2002, was directed to an older network communications architecture that differed fundamentally from the approach used by DoorDash. The team explained how DoorDash's architecture operates differently and highlighted benefits associated with that approach, including enhanced privacy protections and improved mobile device battery efficiency. After approximately one hour of deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous defense verdict in favor of DoorDash.
The result was particularly significant because more than 100 companies had previously settled patent infringement claims brought by the same plaintiff or its predecessor, MacroSolve. Although the Eastern District of Texas is one of the nation's most active patent venues and is often viewed as favorable to patent owners, DoorDash elected to defend the case through verdict rather than settle.
The King & Spalding team includes Mike Rueckheim, Ahtoosa Dale Jack Myers, Kyle Dockendorf and Matthew Reilly.