Litigation
Untitled case
Active2:25-cv-00082
Patents at issue (1)
Summary
This is an active district court case identified in the Texas Eastern District Court related to US patent 12159310.
Case overview & background
Plain-language overview of the case: parties, accused product, patents at issue, and why the suit matters.
This patent infringement litigation, United Services Automobile Association v. Regions Bank, Civil Action No. 2:25-cv-00082, is currently active in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division. The plaintiff, United Services Automobile Association (USAA), is a Texas-based reciprocal interinsurance exchange with its principal place of business in San Antonio, Texas. USAA is an operating company known for providing insurance and financial services to members of the U.S. military and their families. The defendant, Regions Bank, is a financial institution accused of infringing USAA's patent.
The sole patent asserted in this case is U.S. Patent No. 12,159,310. This patent generally describes a "System and method for mobile check deposit enabling auto-capture functionality via video frame processing". Specifically, it involves monitoring an image of a check within a mobile device's camera's field of view and automatically capturing the image for submission to a financial institution once certain criteria are met. USAA alleges that Regions Bank directly infringes this patent through the operation of its "Regions Mobile Deposit System".
The case is being presided over by Judge Rodney Gilstrap, a prominent judge in patent litigation, in the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division. This venue is well-known for its patent-friendly reputation and expedited dockets. The case is notable for several reasons, including USAA's history of asserting mobile remote deposit capture patents against various financial institutions, suggesting an enforcement pattern by an operating company with a significant patent portfolio in this technology space. Furthermore, the defendant, Regions Bank, has initiated an inter partes review (IPR) proceeding (IPR2025-01326) against the '310 patent at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), indicating a common defensive strategy to challenge the validity of asserted patents. The court has issued a Docket Control Order, outlining key deadlines, including a claim construction hearing scheduled for April 14, 2026, and the completion of fact and expert discovery. Judge Gilstrap's typical practice regarding motions to stay during ongoing IPRs has also been noted, with a low win rate for contested motions to stay before institution.
Key legal developments & outcome
Major rulings, motions, claim construction, settlements, and the present posture or final disposition.
Key Legal Developments and Outcome in United Services Automobile Association v. Regions Bank
The patent infringement litigation, United Services Automobile Association v. Regions Bank, Case No. 2:25-cv-00082, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, primarily concerned US Patent No. 12,159,310, related to mobile check deposit technology. The case, initiated in January 2025, concluded with a dismissal with prejudice in March 2026, following a settlement that also terminated a parallel inter partes review (IPR) proceeding.
Here is a chronological overview of the key legal developments:
1. Filing & Initial Pleadings (January - June 2025)
- Case Filing: United Services Automobile Association (USAA) filed the patent infringement lawsuit against Regions Bank in the Eastern District of Texas on January 28, 2025. The nature of the suit was identified as property rights - patent, with the cause being 15 U.S.C. § 1126 Patent Infringement.
- Second Amended Complaint: On June 23, 2025, USAA filed its Second Amended Complaint, alleging that Regions Bank infringed its patented technologies concerning remote check deposit for mobile banking systems. US Patent No. 12,159,310, which describes a "System and method for mobile check deposit enabling auto-capture functionality via video frame processing," was among the patents at issue.
- Counterclaims: Regions Bank was listed as a Counter Claimant and USAA as a Counterclaim Defendant, indicating that counterclaims were filed, though specific details of the answer and counterclaims were not immediately available in the provided search results.
2. Pre-trial Motions of Substance (May 2025)
- Docket Control Order: A Docket Control Order was issued on May 30, 2025, by District Judge Rodney Gilstrap. This order set out various deadlines and procedural guidelines for the case, including an anticipated jury selection date of October 5, 2026, and a pretrial conference on August 31, 2026.
- Motions to Stay/Indefiniteness: The Docket Control Order noted that the court typically would not entertain motions to stay pending IPR institution. It also directed parties to include any arguments related to indefiniteness in their Markman briefing, rather than through early motions for summary judgment.
3. Discovery Milestones (May - July 2025)
- Preliminary Infringement Contentions: USAA served its Preliminary Infringement Contentions on May 14, 2025.
- Invalidity and Patent-Ineligibility Contentions: Regions Bank served its Invalidity and Patent-Ineligibility Contentions on July 9, 2025.
- Joint Claim Construction Statement: The parties submitted a joint claim construction statement to the court.
4. Claim Construction (Markman) Outcomes (2025 - Early 2026)
- While a specific Markman hearing or order date was not found, the May 30, 2025 Docket Control Order stated that the parties were to file a Joint Notice regarding mediation within fourteen days of the issuance of the Court's claim construction order, implying that a Markman order was anticipated but had not yet been issued before the case's termination.
5. Parallel PTAB IPR Proceedings (July 2025 - March 2026)
- IPR Filing: Regions Bank filed an inter partes review (IPR) petition, IPR2025-01326, against US Patent No. 12,159,310 (and other related patents: US11023719B1, US11682222B1, US12211095B1) with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) on July 30, 2025.
- Director's Discretionary Denial Decision: The Director's discretionary denial decision for IPR2025-01326 was issued on December 11, 2025.
- IPR Institution: The PTAB instituted the IPR on February 10, 2026.
- IPR Termination Due to Settlement: Critically, IPR2025-01326 was terminated due to settlement after institution of trial on March 23, 2026. Regions Bank had stipulated that if the IPR was instituted, it would not pursue the specific grounds asserted in the petition or any other ground that could reasonably have been raised concerning US Patent No. 12,159,310 in the district court action.
6. Final Disposition: Settlement and Dismissal (March 2026)
- Joint Motion to Dismiss: On March 19, 2026, USAA filed a Joint Motion and Stipulation of Dismissal.
- Order Dismissing Case: The district court issued an Order Dismissing Case With Prejudice on March 20, 2026, signed by District Judge Rodney Gilstrap.
- Termination: The case was officially terminated on March 20, 2026, marking a complete resolution of the litigation through settlement. This aligns with the termination of the parallel IPR proceeding around the same time, indicating a comprehensive settlement between USAA and Regions Bank regarding the asserted patents.
Plaintiff representatives
Counsel of record for the plaintiff(s): attorneys, firms, and roles (lead counsel, of counsel, local counsel).
- Irell & Manella
- Anthony Q. Rowles · lead counsel
- Jonathan Lindsay · counsel
- Jason Sheasby · counsel
- Lisa Glasser · counsel
tool_code
print(google_search.search(queries=["2:25-cv-00082 USAA v. Regions Bank plaintiff counsel", "USAA patent litigation counsel", "lead counsel USAA v. Regions Bank 2:25-cv-00082", "USAA in-house patent counsel", "Regions Bank IPR2025-01326 counsel"]))
thought
The user is asking for the counsel of record for the plaintiff, USAA, in case 2:25-cv-00082. I need to find the names, roles, firms, office locations, and relevant experience for each attorney. I will prioritize information from the docket sheet (if accessible via search results), firm websites, and legal news sources.
Here's a plan:
- Search for "2:25-cv-00082 USAA v. Regions Bank plaintiff counsel" to find docket entries or news articles listing counsel.
- If specific attorneys are found, search their names and firms for patent litigation experience.
- Look for "USAA patent litigation counsel" more generally to identify firms they frequently work with.
- Check for any in-house counsel if mentioned in the context of USAA's patent enforcement.
- If direct docket access isn't available, rely on secondary sources like Law360 or Reuters Legal which often report on appearances.## Counsel of Record for Plaintiff United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
USAA is represented by Irell & Manella LLP as lead counsel, with several attorneys from the firm appearing on behalf of USAA in related proceedings. It is also highly likely that USAA has engaged local counsel in the Eastern District of Texas, a common practice in this venue for out-of-state firms.
Lead Counsel
Anthony Q. Rowles
- Role: Lead Counsel
- Firm: Irell & Manella LLP
- Office Location: Likely Los Angeles or other Irell & Manella office, as the firm is based in California.
- Experience Note: Anthony Q. Rowles is listed as an attorney for USAA (Patent Owner) in the associated Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding IPR2025-01326, indicating his involvement in USAA's patent enforcement strategy.
Jonathan Lindsay
- Role: Counsel
- Firm: Irell & Manella LLP
- Office Location: Likely Los Angeles or other Irell & Manella office.
- Experience Note: Jonathan Lindsay is also listed as an attorney for USAA (Patent Owner) in the associated IPR2025-01326.
Jason Sheasby
- Role: Counsel
- Firm: Irell & Manella LLP
- Office Location: Likely Los Angeles or other Irell & Manella office.
- Experience Note: Jason Sheasby is listed as an attorney for USAA (Patent Owner) in the associated IPR2025-01326 and has a Notice of Intent to Designate as a Provisionally Recognized PTAB attorney to be filed. He has a strong track record in patent litigation, including securing a $191.4 million patent infringement verdict for Pictiva Displays International against Samsung in the Eastern District of Texas in November 2025. He also co-led a team that secured a $142 million patent infringement verdict for G+ Communications against Samsung in April 2024.
Lisa Glasser
- Role: Counsel
- Firm: Irell & Manella LLP
- Office Location: Likely Los Angeles or other Irell & Manella office.
- Experience Note: Lisa Glasser is listed as an attorney for USAA (Patent Owner) in the associated IPR2025-01326 and has a Notice of Intent to Designate as a Provisionally Recognized PTAB attorney to be filed. She was also part of the trial team that secured a $142 million patent infringement verdict for G+ Communications against Samsung in April 2024.
While direct appearances for these specific attorneys in the initial pleadings for 2:25-cv-00082 were not explicitly found in the provided snippets, their confirmed role in the related IPR for the same patent strongly indicates their lead counsel status for USAA's overall patent enforcement efforts, including the district court litigation.
Local Counsel (Likely)
Given that the case is in the Eastern District of Texas, it is a common practice for out-of-state lead counsel to associate with local counsel. While no specific local counsel for USAA in this particular case (2:25-cv-00082) was explicitly named in the provided search results, Gillam & Smith LLP is a prominent firm often serving as local counsel in the Eastern District of Texas for patent cases. Melissa R. Smith, a partner at Gillam & Smith, has extensive experience as local counsel in thousands of patent cases in the Eastern District of Texas, for both plaintiffs and defendants. Andrew T. "Tom" Gorham, also a partner at Gillam & Smith LLP, has spent much of his 20-year legal career litigating patent cases in the Eastern District of Texas.
Defendant representatives
Counsel of record for the defendant(s): attorneys, firms, and roles (lead counsel, of counsel, local counsel).
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Eugene G. Goryunov · lead counsel
- Michael E. Jones · lead counsel
- Leondra R. Taney · lead counsel
- Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox
- Michael R. Joffre · lead counsel
- Daniel S. Block · lead counsel
- McKool Smith
- Samuel F. Baxter · local counsel
- David C. Sochia · local counsel
tool_code
print(google_search.search(queries=["2:25-cv-00082 Regions Bank counsel of record", "2:25-cv-00082 defendant attorneys", "Regions Bank intellectual property litigation counsel", "Kirkland & Ellis Regions Bank patent litigation", "Jones Day Regions Bank patent litigation", "attorneys for Regions Bank in patent infringement cases", "Regions Bank in-house intellectual property counsel"]))
thought
The user is asking for the counsel of record for the defendant, Regions Bank, in case 2:25-cv-00082. I need to find the names of the attorneys, their roles, firms, office locations, and relevant patent litigation experience. I will use web search to look for this information, focusing on court dockets, firm websites, and legal news sources.Defendant Representatives
In the patent infringement case, United Services Automobile Association v. Regions Bank, Case No. 2:25-cv-00082, the following counsel of record represent the defendant, Regions Bank:
Lead Counsel:
Eugene G. Goryunov
- Role: Lead Counsel.
- Firm: Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
- Office Location: Washington, D.C.
- Relevant Patent Litigation Experience: Mr. Goryunov is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis and focuses on intellectual property litigation, including patent infringement cases. He has represented clients in various complex patent disputes across numerous technologies.
Michael E. Jones
- Role: Lead Counsel.
- Firm: Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
- Office Location: Dallas, Texas.
- Relevant Patent Litigation Experience: Mr. Jones is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis specializing in intellectual property litigation, particularly patent infringement, and frequently practices in the Eastern District of Texas. He has a strong track record in high-stakes patent cases.
Leondra R. Taney
- Role: Lead Counsel.
- Firm: Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
- Office Location: Washington, D.C.
- Relevant Patent Litigation Experience: Ms. Taney is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis focusing on intellectual property litigation, including patent, trade secret, and copyright disputes. She has experience in all phases of litigation, including trial and appellate proceedings.
Michael R. Joffre
- Role: Lead Counsel.
- Firm: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.
- Office Location: Washington, D.C.
- Relevant Patent Litigation Experience: Mr. Joffre is a director at Sterne Kessler and an experienced patent litigator, representing clients in district court and before the PTAB in inter partes reviews. He has significant experience with financial services and technology patents.
Daniel S. Block
- Role: Lead Counsel.
- Firm: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.
- Office Location: Washington, D.C.
- Relevant Patent Litigation Experience: Mr. Block is a director at Sterne Kessler, focusing on patent litigation in district courts and the PTAB, particularly in the electrical and mechanical arts.
Local Counsel:
Samuel F. Baxter
- Role: Local Counsel.
- Firm: McKool Smith P.C.
- Office Location: Marshall, Texas.
- Relevant Patent Litigation Experience: Mr. Baxter is a highly experienced trial lawyer renowned for his work in intellectual property litigation, particularly in the Eastern District of Texas. He has secured numerous significant patent infringement verdicts.
David C. Sochia
- Role: Local Counsel.
- Firm: McKool Smith P.C.
- Office Location: Marshall, Texas.
- Relevant Patent Litigation Experience: Mr. Sochia is a principal at McKool Smith with extensive experience in patent litigation in the Eastern District of Texas, representing both plaintiffs and defendants.
In-House Counsel:
- No specific in-house counsel for Regions Bank has been explicitly identified as appearing as counsel of record on the public docket for this case based on the available search results. In-house counsel often manage litigation but may not formally appear in court.