Applied Companies v. Lockheed Martin Librascope

MEMORANDUM *

Applied Companies (“Applied”) appeals various orders entered by the district court, including an order granting a new trial to Lockheed Martin Librascope and Lockheed Martin Federal Systems, Inc. (collectively, “Librascope”). We reverse. Because the parties are familiar with the factual and procedural history of the case, we will not recount it here.

The district court erred in granting a new trial. “A district court may grant a motion for a new trial based on the insufficiency of the evidence only if the verdict is against the great weight of the evidence or it is quite clear that the jury has reached a seriously erroneous result.” Hemmings v. Tidyman’s Inc., 285 F.3d 1174 , 1189 (9th Cir.2002) (internal quotations marks omitted) (citing Ace v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 139 F.3d 1241, 1248 (9th Cir.1998)). “[A] district court may not grant or deny a new trial merely because it would have arrived at a different verdict.” United States v. 4.0 Acres of Land, 175 F.3d 1133, 1139 (9th Cir.1999) (citing Wilhelm, v. Associated Container Transp. (Australia) Ltd., 648 F.2d 1197, 1198 (9th Cir.1981).

In the instant case, the district court did not identify the basis for granting…