Untitled case

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 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.

I'll research plaintiff's counsel of record for this case, starting with docket-level sources and cross-checking against firm and press reports.

The docket shows a very different defense team than the previously generated section — I'll verify and flag that. Let me confirm plaintiff-side details.

Plaintiff's Counsel of Record — United Services Automobile Association (USAA)

Bottom line: USAA is represented by a joint team of Irell & Manella LLP (California-based national patent trial counsel, appearing pro hac vice) and Parker, Bunt & Ainsworth, P.C. of Tyler, Texas (local counsel / filer of record). Six Irell attorneys and one Parker Bunt attorney appear for USAA on the docket as of the last docket report captured in the record.

Counsel table

Signature-block confirmation. The March 12, 2026 joint filing (Doc. 86) is signed "/s/ Robert Christopher Bunt" and lists "Jason G. Sheasby (CA #205455), Lisa S. Glasser (CA #223406) (Pro Hac Vice), Rebecca L. Carson (CA #254105) (Pro Hac Vice), Anthony Rowles (CA #301209) (Pro Hac Vice), Stephen M. Payne (CA#310567), Joshua Grossman (CA #356900) (Pro Hac Vice)" of Irell & Manella LLP, identified as "ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (USAA)."

In-house counsel: No USAA in-house attorney appears as counsel of record on the public docket. USAA's Rule 7.1(a)(1) disclosure (Doc. 3) was signed by Mr. Bunt, i.e., outside counsel. If in-house counsel participated, they did not enter an appearance in this docket as reported.

Nothing is sealed as to appearances. Appearances are public; the settlement itself is confidential (Regions' spokesman: "settlement in principle on terms that are confidential").

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⚠️ Contradiction flag — the prior "Defendant representatives" section is almost certainly wrong

The previously generated defendant-counsel section lists Kirkland & Ellis (Eugene Goryunov, Michael E. Jones, Leondra R. Taney), Sterne Kessler (Michael R. Joffre, Daniel S. Block), and McKool Smith (Samuel F. Baxter, David C. Sochia, as local counsel) for Regions Bank. The docket does not support any of that. Every docket report in the record (CM/ECF report captured 9/23/2025 as USAA Ex. 2005 in IPR2025-01326; Justia; lexdana) shows Regions Bank's actual counsel as:

• Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP — Andrew J. Danford (Boston, PHV, Doc. 11, 3/14/2025); Gregory Hayes Lantier (Washington, D.C., Doc. 12, 3/31/2025); Josefina ("Nina") Garcia (Boston, PHV, Doc. 25, 4/30/2025); Michaela P. Sewall (PHV, Doc. 31, 5/29/2025); R. Gregory Israelsen (Doc. 45, 7/7/2025)
• Gillam & Smith, LLP — Melissa Richards Smith (303 S. Washington Ave., Marshall, TX) as local counsel, filer of the extension applications (Docs. 7–8) and Rule 7.1 disclosure (Doc. 15)

Note that "Michael E. Jones" is a Tyler, Texas lawyer historically associated with Potter Minton, not a Kirkland & Ellis partner — that entry in particular appears fabricated. I'd recommend the defendant section be regenerated from the docket before it goes into any work product.

Two other discrepancies worth noting:

• Caption/parties: the docket caption is United Services Automobile Association v. Regions Financial Corporation et al., and Regions Financial Corporation was dismissed without prejudice on April 14, 2025 (Doc. 21, acknowledging Doc. 13 stipulation). Only Regions Bank remains. The prior overview's framing is consistent with this but omits the dismissal.
• Patents asserted: the metadata and prior overview say the '310 patent alone. But the Second Amended Complaint (Doc. 41, 6/23/2025) appears to assert both the '310 and '095 patents, and the original complaint asserted four (the original Exhibit A–D set). The narrowing may have occurred in a later filing, but if the case is described as a single-patent case that should be verified against the operative contentions.

Sources: CM/ECF docket report, E.D. Tex. No. 2:25-cv-00082-JRG (captured 9/23/2025, filed as USAA Ex. 2005 in IPR2025-01326), via Docket Alarm; Justia docket; Law.com Radar; Reuters, "USAA sues Regions Bank over mobile banking patents" (Jan. 28, 2025); Joint Second Motion to Stay and Notice of Settlement, Doc. 86 (Mar. 12, 2026), filed as Ex. 2001 in IPR2026-00279; Irell & Manella case studies (Wells Fargo verdicts); al.com, Feb. 2026.

I'll research the defendant's counsel of record, starting with docket-level sources and the parallel IPR.

Docket data is solid. Now let me verify the Regions IPR counsel designation and each attorney's background.

Now let me verify individual bios and check for any additional appearances or case-status updates.

Counsel of Record for Defendant Regions Bank

Bottom line: The sole remaining defendant is Regions Bank (its parent, Regions Financial Corporation, was dismissed without prejudice on April 14, 2025, Doc. 21). Regions Bank is represented by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP as lead/primary counsel, with Gillam & Smith LLP of Marshall, Texas as local counsel. The docket does not formally designate a "lead counsel"; the designation below reflects appearance order, signature-block order, and who argued/signed the substantive filings.

WilmerHale — primary counsel

Local counsel

PTAB counsel for Regions who are not counsel of record in the district court

In IPR2025-01326 (Regions Bank v. USAA, '310 patent), Regions' lead counsel is David L. Cavanaugh (WilmerHale, Boston; Reg. No. 36,476), with backup Andrew Danford, Alexander J. Nemtzow (Reg. No. 82,130) and Chisom I. Nwakama (Reg. No. 81,445); Amy L. Mahan and Gregory Lantier were removed from the backup designation in the Oct. 2, 2025 and Jan. 27, 2026 updated mandatory notices respectively. None of Cavanaugh, Nemtzow, Nwakama, or Mahan appears on the district court docket, so they should not be described as district-court counsel of record.

Flagged contradictions with the previously generated sections

1. Plaintiff-representative section (local counsel guess): The prior section speculated that Gillam & Smith LLP / Melissa R. Smith was likely USAA's local counsel. That is incorrect — Gillam & Smith represents Regions Bank. USAA's local counsel is Robert Christopher Bunt of Parker, Bunt & Ainsworth, P.C. (100 E. Ferguson, Suite 418, Tyler, TX), who filed the complaint (Doc. 1), the summons returns (Docs. 5–6), and signed the March 2026 joint motion, alongside Irell's Stephen M. Payne (who also does not appear in the prior section's USAA list).
2. Defendant identity: The prior sections refer loosely to "Regions Bank" but the case was captioned against both Regions Financial Corporation and Regions Bank; only Regions Bank remains. Any argument that Regions Financial is a party is unsupported after Doc. 21 (Apr. 14, 2025).
3. Case status (material): The metadata in this prompt says the case is "Active," but the prior section — and the docket evidence I could retrieve (Doc. 86, a joint motion to stay deadlines and notice of settlement filed Mar. 12, 2026) — indicate the case settled and was dismissed in March 2026. I could not independently locate the dismissal order in the searches available, so the precise dismissal date (the prior section's "March 20, 2026") remains uncorroborated by a source I retrieved; treat it as needing PACER confirmation.
4. Patent count: Contrary to the metadata's single-patent framing, the original complaint (Doc. 1) asserted four USAA patents, per Reuters and Law.com's case report; the '310 patent is the one carried into IPR2025-01326 and the operative amended pleadings.

Sourcing caveats

• The docket-attorney block above comes from a CM/ECF docket report reproduced as USAA Exhibit 2005 in IPR2025-01326 (dated Sept. 23, 2025) and from Jusita/lexdana docket entries; I did not have direct PACER access, so post-September 2025 appearances (and any withdrawals, including Lantier's) are not fully verified.
• Bios for Garcia, Sewall, and Israelsen were not retrievable within the search budget; I have not supplied experience descriptions for them rather than guess.
• The WilmerHale→Sidley move for Lantier rests on Sidley's own Jan. 27, 2026 press release; there is no docket confirmation of substitution in 2:25-cv-00082.