Two Paul, Weiss litigation wins were among the California Daily Journal’s “Top Verdicts of 2025,” an annual list highlighting the largest and most impactful trial and appeal outcomes in California federal and state courts.
The publication recognized the firm’s trial win on behalf of surgical robot maker Intuitive Surgical in a high-stakes antitrust suit brought by Surgical Instrument Service Company in the Northern District of California. Intuitive was represented by litigation partners Bill Michael, Josh Hill, Paul Brachman, Crystal Parker and Kannon Shanmugam, and of counsel Ken Gallo. On the morning of closing arguments, the judge issued a jury instruction regarding the definition of an alleged market that SIS claimed Intuitive monopolizes. “The plaintiff acknowledged in light of the announced jury instruction, it could not satisfy the requirement,” Ken said, following which the Paul, Weiss team successfully moved for judgment as a matter of law in Intuitive’s favor. “This was highly unusual, to go through years of litigation and three weeks, plus trial, and then stand up and say they couldn’t satisfy the jury instruction.”
The publication also recognized the firm for securing a Ninth Circuit reversal of a $26 million breach-of-contract verdict against our client Cypress Technology in a suit brought by OWLink Technology. Cypress was represented by litigation partners Kannon Shanmugam and Josh Hill and associates Jamie Durling and Anna Stapleton. “This appeal overturned a high-value jury verdict in a case that never should have gone before a jury,” Josh said. “The Ninth Circuit agreed, reinforcing the principle that judges must decide contract ambiguity and that unambiguous contracts should be enforced as written.”
» read the Intuitive Surgical profile (subscription required)
» read the Cypress Technology profile (subscription required)
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February 11, 2026
