VB Assets, LLC v. General Motors Holdings LLC et al.

Case Overview and Background

This litigation represents a significant front in a broader patent assertion campaign by VB Assets, LLC, a non-practicing entity (NPE), against major players in the technology and automotive sectors. VB Assets was formed to monetize the intellectual property of VoiceBox Technologies, an early pioneer in conversational AI and natural language processing. The defendants are General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors Company, and its subsidiary Onstar, LLC (collectively "GM"), all operating companies that design, manufacture, and sell vehicles and related services. At the heart of the dispute are GM's vehicles equipped with the Onstar system, which provides a suite of connected services including automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote vehicle access, many of which involve voice-activated commands and interactions.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, asserts infringement of U.S. Patent No. 9,269,097. The '097 patent, titled "System and method of voice sourcing local business data," generally covers a method for a voice-based system to use location data to retrieve and present relevant local business information to a user. This technology is allegedly practiced by GM's Onstar navigation and connected directory services. The case is in its early stages, having been filed on October 31, 2024. The choice of Delaware as a venue is significant; it is a favored forum for patent litigation due to its judges' deep expertise in patent law and the high number of U.S. corporations, including GM, incorporated there, which establishes clear venue under the Supreme Court's TC Heartland decision.

The case is notable as it demonstrates VB Assets' strategy of leveraging its patent portfolio, which has already proven valuable in other high-stakes litigation. Specifically, claim 23 of the same '097 patent was part of a successful jury trial against Amazon, where a Delaware jury found Amazon's Alexa services to have willfully infringed, contributing to a verdict worth over $40 million for VB Assets. That victory, presided over by Judge Maryellen Noreika, has emboldened VB Assets to expand its campaign against other companies utilizing voice-assistant and conversational AI technologies, with recent suits filed against Apple, Google, and Samsung. This lawsuit against GM signals a determined push into the automotive sector, targeting embedded vehicle telematics systems that rely on similar voice and data processing technologies.

Key Legal Developments and Outcome

As of May 7, 2026, the litigation between VB Assets, LLC and General Motors (GM) remains in a preliminary and non-public phase. While the case is documented as active, there have been no publicly accessible, substantive legal developments since its initial filing.

Filing & Initial Pleadings

• 2024-10-31: Complaint Filed
  VB Assets, LLC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors Company, and Onstar, LLC in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaint alleges that GM's Onstar system infringes U.S. Patent No. 9,269,097. The case was assigned case number 1:24-cv-01279.

• Answer and Counterclaims
  No answer, counterclaims, or other responsive pleadings from General Motors are available in the public record based on extensive searches of legal databases and news sources. In a typical patent case, an answer would have been due in late 2024 or early 2025. The absence of this key filing from public view is unusual and may suggest the case was stayed, sealed, or resolved before the deadline.

Pre-Trial Motions and Other Developments

There are no publicly available records of any substantive motions, such as motions to dismiss, transfer, or stay. Likewise, no scheduling orders, claim construction briefing, or discovery milestones have been made public for this case.

The lack of a public docket trail for a case filed in late 2024 is atypical. This suggests several possibilities: the case may have been stayed by agreement of the parties pending the resolution of VB Assets' other lawsuits; it could have been confidentially settled and dismissed shortly after filing; or it is proceeding under seal, though no public order to that effect is available. One litigation database lists the case as "Active," but without any supporting docket information.

Parallel PTAB Proceedings

• No IPR Petitions Filed by General Motors: A search of the USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) records reveals no Inter Partes Review (IPR) or Post-Grant Review (PGR) petitions filed by General Motors against U.S. Patent No. 9,269,097. This is a noteworthy data point, as defendants in major patent campaigns frequently challenge the validity of the asserted patents at the PTAB.

• Related IPR by Amazon: The '097 patent was previously challenged at the PTAB by a different defendant. On July 29, 2020, Amazon filed an IPR petition against the patent (IPR2020-01388) in connection with its own litigation with VB Assets. This proceeding is relevant context for the patent's litigation history but does not directly involve GM or the current case. The outcome of that IPR likely informs the legal strategy of both VB Assets and GM.

Outcome and Present Posture

The case is technically active but has no public record of substantive legal developments. Without access to docket entries, the precise status—whether it is stayed, awaiting a ruling, or in private settlement negotiations—cannot be confirmed. The final disposition remains pending.

Counsel for Plaintiff VB Assets, LLC

As the case VB Assets, LLC v. General Motors Holdings LLC et al. is in its very early stages, counsel for the plaintiff, VB Assets, LLC, has appeared on the docket through the filing of the initial complaint. The legal team consists of a combination of nationally recognized patent trial lawyers and seasoned local Delaware counsel.

Lead Counsel

• Michael Heim, Leslie Payne, Russell Chorush, et al. from Heim, Payne & Chorush, LLP (Houston, TX).
  • This Texas-based firm is known for handling high-stakes, technologically complex patent infringement cases for plaintiffs across the country. The firm and its partners have a strong track record, including securing significant verdicts and settlements against major technology and energy companies. Many of the firm's attorneys have technical backgrounds in science and engineering and clerked for federal judges, providing a deep bench of expertise for complex patent disputes. This same firm represented VB Assets in its successful suit against Amazon.

Local Counsel

• Stamatios Stamoulis and Richard C. Weinblatt from Stamoulis & Weinblatt LLC (Wilmington, DE).
  • Role: Local Counsel
  • Firm: Stamoulis & Weinblatt LLC
  • Office Location: Wilmington, Delaware
  • Noteworthy Experience: As a Delaware-based firm, Stamoulis & Weinblatt specializes in intellectual property litigation and frequently serves as local counsel for out-of-state firms litigating in the busy District of Delaware. Both Stamatios Stamoulis and Richard Weinblatt have extensive experience in patent litigation, having previously practiced at top IP firm Fish & Richardson before founding their own firm. The firm is consistently recognized as a go-to firm for patent plaintiffs in Delaware. Stamoulis has over two decades of experience in IP and complex commercial litigation, while Weinblatt has argued numerous appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Note: While specific attorneys from Heim, Payne & Chorush beyond the named partners will likely be involved, the initial filings typically list the firm. The exact attorneys who will take lead roles in depositions and court appearances will become clearer as the case progresses.

Defendants' Counsel of Record

As of May 7, 2026, no attorneys for the defendants—General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors Company, and Onstar, LLC—have been definitively identified through publicly available docket information or news reports for this specific case. The case is in its early stages, and formal notices of appearance may not have been widely disseminated or indexed by legal news aggregators.

However, based on General Motors' consistent choice of representation in other recent patent infringement lawsuits, particularly those involving automotive and connected-car technology, the following firms and attorneys are likely to be involved in its defense.

Probable Lead National Counsel

Based on their role in other significant patent litigation for the automaker, it is highly probable that attorneys from Honigman LLP will serve as lead counsel for General Motors and Onstar.

• Firm: Honigman LLP
• Noteworthy Attorneys & Potential Roles:
  • J. Michael Huget: (Partner, Ann Arbor, MI) - Co-chair of Honigman's Intellectual Property Litigation practice, he has represented major auto manufacturers in high-stakes patent disputes.
  • David J. Thomas: (Partner, Bloomfield Hills, MI) - Has represented both General Motors and Onstar in prior patent infringement cases, including a 2023 case involving eye-gaze detection technology for GM's Super Cruise system.
  • Dennis J. Abdelnour: (Partner, Chicago, IL) - Frequently litigates patent cases for automotive clients and was part of the defense team with David Thomas in the aforementioned Super Cruise technology case.

Probable Delaware Local Counsel

Parties litigating in the District of Delaware must retain local counsel. Given the significance of this case, General Motors is expected to engage a top-tier Delaware firm with deep experience in federal patent litigation. While the specific firm is not yet confirmed, prominent firms frequently hired for this role in Delaware include:

• Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP
• Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A.
• Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP
• Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP

An official notice of appearance, which will be filed on the court docket, will be required to confirm the identities of both lead and local counsel for the defendants.