Jason Wietholter

Jason Wietholter is a partner at Russ August & Kabat, specializing in high-technology patent and intellectual property litigation. His practice primarily focuses on representing plaintiffs, particularly patent holders like Headwater Research LLC and Datonics LLC (also known as AlmondNet), in asserting patents against major technology companies. His areas of technical focus, as evidenced by his case work, include telecommunications, mobile technology, push-messaging, device-assisted traffic control, smart thermostat and HVAC controllers, internet advertising, and data processing. Prior to joining Russ August & Kabat in August 2020, Mr. Wietholter gained extensive experience as a trial consultant, participating in over 100 jury trials across various complex litigation matters.

Mr. Wietholter has been instrumental in securing significant jury verdicts for his clients. In July 2025, he was part of the trial team that won a $175 million jury verdict for Headwater Research LLC against Verizon Communications, concerning device-assisted traffic control technology. This followed another substantial win in April 2025, where he contributed to a $279 million jury verdict (with a judgment totaling $340 million including prejudgment interest) for Headwater Research LLC against Samsung, involving push-messaging and wireless communications technology.

Further notable outcomes include a $20 million jury verdict in 2022 against Google for smart thermostat and energy-saving HVAC controllers, which was affirmed by the Federal Circuit in a precedential opinion in 2024—reportedly the first patent verdict against Google to be affirmed at that level. Also in 2022, he assisted in securing a $5.4 million jury verdict against ecobee for smart thermostat technology. In June 2024, Mr. Wietholter was involved in the Datonics LLC v. Amazon.com, Inc. litigation that resulted in a $121.95 million jury verdict for targeted advertising technology. While primarily representing plaintiffs, his experience also includes defending against patent challenges, as seen in a PTAB matter involving Unified Patents.

Mr. Wietholter earned his Juris Doctor with highest honors from The University of Tulsa College of Law in 2020 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Oklahoma State University. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in May 2021.