LITTON CLAIMS BIG VICTORY IN BATTLE WITH HONEYWELL.Byline: Greg Stohr Bloomberg News Litton Industries Named after inventor Charles Litton Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001. , a top maker of navigation systems A GPS-based electronic system in a car or truck that provides a real time map of the vehicle's current location as well as step-by-step directions to a programmed destination. See GPS and vehicle tracking. and naval destroyers, announced Wednesday that it won a $250 million damage award and the possibility of $500 million more in a long-running antitrust fight with Honeywell Inc. The jury verdict in the dispute over commercial aircraft guidance systems still must be converted into a final judgment by U.S. District Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer. If she enters the judgment, U.S. antitrust law antitrust law Any law restricting business practices that are considered unfair or monopolistic. Among U.S. laws, the best known is the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which declared illegal “every contract, combination…or conspiracy in restraint of trade or would triple the jury award to $750 million, plus attorney's fees attorney's fee n. the payment for legal services. It can take several forms: 1) hourly charge, 2) flat fee for the performance of a particular service (like $250 to write a will), 3) contingent fee (such as one-third of the gross recovery, and nothing if there is no . Woodland Hills-based Litton said it expects Honeywell, which makes thermostats and industrial controls as well as aircraft navigation systems, to appeal. ``While we are pleased (with) the jury's verdict, we consider this as another step in our efforts to gain redress for Honeywell's illegal monopolization mo·nop·o·lize tr.v. mo·nop·o·lized, mo·nop·o·liz·ing, mo·nop·o·liz·es 1. To acquire or maintain a monopoly of. 2. To dominate by excluding others: monopolized the conversation. ,'' said John E. Preston, Litton's general counsel. ``We fully expect there will be appeals.'' Honeywell said it would seek to have the verdict reversed. ``We are extremely disappointed with the jury's verdict and do not believe there is any legal or factual basis for an award of this magnitude,'' said Edward D. Grayson, the Minneapolis-based company's general counsel. The company said, if necessary, it would appeal to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Litton charges Honeywell monopolized the market for gyroscopes in airplane airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. navigation systems, at times using cash payments, interest-free loans and other inducements to help it gain control of more than 90 percent of the market. In 1996, a jury awarded Litton $234 million. Pfaelzer threw out the verdict, saying the jurors had no basis for it, and scheduled a new damages trial. News of the verdict was released after the market closed. |
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