Lone Star SCM Systems, LP v. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

This patent infringement litigation, originally filed as Lone Star SCM Systems, LP v. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, has seen significant developments and clarification regarding its actual parties and status. Based on court records, the correct defendant for case number 3:24-cv-00108 is Honeywell International Inc., and the case was terminated on April 2, 2026.

The plaintiff, Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. (often referred to with "Ltd." rather than "LP" in court filings), is recognized as a patent assertion entity (PAE) or non-practicing entity (NPE) that asserts rights in RFID interrogation technology. The defendant, Honeywell International Inc., is a major operating company that manufactures various products, including the accused RFID reader technology. The accused products in this litigation are Honeywell's RFID readers, specifically its IF2b fixed RFID reader and the IH21 and IP30 handheld RFID reader product lines. The sole patent at issue, U.S. Patent No. 9,646,182 ("the '182 patent"), broadly covers an integrated RFID interrogator and related methods, used for applications like tracking and inventory management through radio-frequency identification.

The procedural posture of this case is notable. It was filed in the North Carolina Western District Court (3:24-cv-00108), but a related case involving Lone Star SCM Systems and the same patent family against Foxconn Technology Group was previously transferred from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina via a Federal Circuit mandamus order. This highlights the Federal Circuit's active role in overseeing venue transfers, particularly from districts that had become popular for patent plaintiffs, to forums with a stronger nexus to the parties or the alleged infringement. Ultimately, this specific case against Honeywell was terminated on April 2, 2026. The termination of the case is highly significant and likely stems from an inter partes review (IPR) challenge against the '182 patent. In a parallel proceeding involving Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. and Zebra Technologies Corporation, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) found the claims of the '182 patent (among others) to be unpatentable. This decision was subsequently affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on December 12, 2025, which extinguished the patent's enforceability. This outcome in the IPR appeal likely rendered the claims of the '182 patent unenforceable against Honeywell, leading to the termination of the district court case.

Case Name: Lone Star SCM Systems, LP v. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (Originally captioned as Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. v. Honeywell International Inc. for the case number in question).
Case Number: 3:24-cv-00108
Court: North Carolina Western District Court
Patents at Issue: 9,646,182

Note on Defendant: While the initial prompt identified "Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist" as the defendant, docket information for case number 3:24-cv-00108 in the North Carolina Western District Court indicates the defendant is "Honeywell International Inc.". This summary will proceed with Honeywell International Inc. as the defendant for the identified case number, while acknowledging the discrepancy.

---

Key Legal Developments and Outcome:

1. Filing & Initial Pleadings (2024-01-26 - 2026-04-15)

• Case Filing: Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Honeywell International Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on January 26, 2024. The patent asserted was US9646182B2.

2. Parallel PTAB IPR/PGR Proceedings and Federal Circuit Appeal (2022 - 2025-12-12)

• IPR Filings: Prior to the resolution of the district court case against Honeywell, related inter partes review (IPR) proceedings were initiated by Zebra Technologies Corporation against several patents owned by Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd., including US9646182B2, as well as US7557711, US9996717, and US10482293. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) concluded that all challenged claims of these patents, including the '182 patent, were unpatentable.
• Federal Circuit Affirmance: Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. appealed the PTAB's decisions to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Case No. 24-1732). On December 12, 2025, the Federal Circuit affirmed the unpatentability of US9646182B2, finding Lone Star's arguments unpersuasive and upholding the lower tribunal's invalidity/cancellation determination. This rendered the patent finally unpatentable and unenforceable.

3. Final Disposition - Dismissal (Pre-2026-04-15)

• Joint Motion to Dismiss with Prejudice: Following the Federal Circuit's decision that patent US9646182B2 was unpatentable, Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. and Honeywell International Inc. filed a Joint Motion to Dismiss with Prejudice in the North Carolina Western District Court case (3:24-cv-00108). Responses to this motion were due by April 15, 2026. The filing of a joint motion to dismiss with prejudice, particularly after the asserted patent was deemed unpatentable on appeal, indicates a definitive end to the litigation, likely resulting from the patent owner no longer having an enforceable patent to assert.

Outcome:
The patent-in-suit, US9646182B2, was ultimately found unpatentable by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, a decision affirmed by the Federal Circuit on December 12, 2025. As a direct consequence of this invalidity ruling, the patent infringement litigation brought by Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. against Honeywell International Inc. in the North Carolina Western District Court (3:24-cv-00108) concluded with a Joint Motion to Dismiss with Prejudice. This final disposition effectively terminated the district court litigation before it could advance to stages such as claim construction, extensive discovery, or trial.

Counsel of Record Identified for Lone Star SCM Systems, LP in Western District of North Carolina Patent Case

Lone Star SCM Systems, LP, the plaintiff in the patent infringement case Lone Star SCM Systems, LP v. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (3:24-cv-00108), is represented by counsel from two Texas-based law firms: Munsch Hardt Kopf and Harr PC and Griffith Barbee PLLC. While a direct docket entry for this specific district court case was not explicitly found in public search results, these firms and attorneys have consistently represented Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. (a closely related entity, asserting the same patent family) in recent, related patent litigation.

The following attorneys and their firms have been identified as representing Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. in Federal Circuit appeals (Cases 24-1731, 24-1732, 24-1733, 24-1734) concerning patents, including US9646182B2, which is also at issue in the North Carolina case:

• Steven Nelson Williams

  • Role: Lead Counsel (in Federal Circuit appeals)
  • Firm: Munsch Hardt Kopf and Harr PC, Dallas, TX
  • Experience Note: Mr. Williams has argued for Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit concerning patentability decisions from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). His firm has a strong intellectual property practice, including extensive experience in patent litigation, representing clients in federal district courts and in cases involving oil field service companies, power management devices, and telecommunications manufacturers.

• Randall Miller

  • Role: Counsel (in Federal Circuit appeals)
  • Firm: Griffith Barbee PLLC, Dallas, TX
  • Experience Note: Mr. Miller is affiliated with Griffith Barbee, a boutique intellectual property and commercial litigation firm known for representing companies in high-stakes disputes in federal and state courts nationwide and before the USPTO. The firm's practice heavily focuses on IP litigation, often representing plaintiffs in patent infringement suits in key patent jurisdictions.

• Winston Oliver Huff

  • Role: Counsel (in Federal Circuit appeals)
  • Firm: Griffith Barbee PLLC, Dallas, TX
  • Experience Note: Mr. Huff is also part of Griffith Barbee's team, which specializes in intellectual property and commercial litigation, handling cases involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. He has been explicitly listed as counsel for Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. in Federal Circuit patent appeals.

Given the consistent representation of Lone Star SCM Systems, Ltd. by these attorneys and firms in directly related patent matters, it is highly probable they serve as lead counsel for Lone Star SCM Systems, LP in the current district court infringement case. However, due to the inability to directly access the PACER docket for case 3:24-cv-00108 through web searches, the precise local counsel, or definitive lead counsel designations for this specific district court filing, could not be confirmed without direct docket access.

The following counsel have been identified as representing the defendant(s), Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, in this patent infringement case:

In-House Counsel:

• J. McLain Wallace, Jr.

  • Role: Senior Vice President and General Counsel
  • Firm: Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (in-house), Winston-Salem, NC
  • Experience Note: McLain Wallace, Jr. was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1988 and spent 16 years in private practice specializing in health care law before joining the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Legal Department in 2005, becoming General Counsel in 2010. His practice encompasses various health care legal matters including corporate/business organizations, finance, and risk management, but direct patent litigation experience is not explicitly stated in his profile.

• Brett J. Denton (While his role is for the broader Atrium Health system, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is part of this system)

  • Role: Enterprise Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
  • Firm: Atrium Health (in-house), Charlotte, NC
  • Experience Note: Brett Denton has over 28 years of legal experience and joined Atrium Health in 1999. He is responsible for overseeing the enterprise-wide legal and risk functions for Atrium Health, which includes corporate compliance, privacy, internal audit, corporate risk management, corporate insurance, and enterprise risk management departments. Before joining Atrium Health, he practiced law for six years with Robinson Bradshaw in Charlotte.

External Counsel:

As of the current date (June 18, 2026), specific external counsel of record (lead, of counsel, or local counsel) directly representing Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in the patent infringement case 3:24-cv-00108 have not been identified through public web searches of court dockets or legal news. It is possible that external counsel have not yet made a formal appearance, or their appearance has not been widely reported in publicly accessible sources.