MLC Intellectual Property, LLC v. Micron Technology, Inc.
- Susan Illston
- 3:14-cv-03657
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 1
In MLC Intellectual Property v. Micron Technology, Judge Illston denied MLC’s recusal suggestion because no conflict required recusal in this case.
MLC Intellectual Property, LLC’s request that Judge Illston recuse was denied; the order concerned the court’s ability to continue handling this case against Micron Technology, Inc.
What happened
MLC Intellectual Property, LLC asked the court to recuse, or step aside, from its case against Micron Technology, Inc. The request concerned the court’s earlier recusal from a different case after a conflict check identified IMFT.
Judge Illston explained that neither IMFT nor Intel was a party to this case. After MLC filed its request, the court also sold its Intel stock as a precaution.
Judge Susan Illston denied MLC’s suggestion regarding recusal, finding no basis for recusal in this matter.
The detailed version
- MLC Intellectual Property, LLC v. Micron Technology, Inc. · No. 3:14-cv-03657
- Susan Illston
- Oct. 17, 2019
Background
MLC filed a document titled a “Suggestion Regarding the Court’s Recusal.” The court treated it as a suggestion rather than a motion to disqualify and stated that, under Civil Local Rule 3-14, it had discretion to resolve the issue.
The court had previously recused itself from another case, No. 19-3345, after an automated conflicts check identified a conflict involving IMFT. The court stated that neither IMFT nor Intel was a party to MLC’s case. The court also stated that, after MLC filed the suggestion, it sold its Intel stock as a precaution under 28 U.S.C. § 455(f). In a footnote, the court said it had not known about the conflict involving IMFT until the other case was assigned to Judge Illston and that MLC had not disclosed IMFT or Intel as interested parties under Civil Local Rule 3-15.
Ruling
The court examined the record and concluded there was no basis for recusal in this case. Judge Susan Illston therefore denied MLC’s “Suggestion” of recusal.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.