Notable Successes

Kerri-Ann Limbeek

The New York Law Journal recognized Desmarais LLP partner Kerri-Ann Limbeek as a 2024 Rising Star following her $57 million trial win this year in a patent case for the biotech firm Ravgen and its prenatal genetic testing technology.
 
Limbeek served as lead trial counsel in federal court in Austin, Texas, where a jury found that the lab testing company Natera had infringed Ravgen’s patent (No. 7,332,277). The patent was based on a pioneering, noninvasive method Ravgen's founder had developed for analyzing fetal DNA taken from a pregnant woman’s blood that could test for gender and chromosomal conditions as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy. During the trial in January 2024, Limbeek handled opening and closing arguments and oversaw trial strategy – in addition to cross-examining Natera’s main technical expert and the engineer who developed the accused product – to show how the patent had been infringed. Limbeek also helped secure a $272.5 million verdict (later enhanced to $372.5 million) involving the same patent against Labcorp in 2022.
 
In her NYLJ Rising Star profile, Limbeek said that up-and-coming attorneys should: “Take ownership of every aspect of a case that falls within your domain and build a knowledge base that positions you as a leader. You are never too junior to make a meaningful contribution to case strategy.”
 
Read The New York Law Journal story
 

Kerri-Ann Limbeek