Software maker Pegasystems Inc. is off the hook for a $2 billion jury verdict, after a Virginia appeals court reversed the largest damages verdict in the state’s history.
The Virginia Court of Appeals sided with Pegasystems, ruling that “a series of evidentiary errors and instruction missteps below necessitate a retrial.”
A jury in May 2022 found Pegasystems Inc. violated state law in misappropriating trade secrets from a competitor, Appian Corp., handing Appian a historic victory.
But Appian had the burden to demonstrate it was harmed by Pegasystems’ alleged unjust enrichment from misappropriation of a trade secret, Judge Frank K. Friedman ...