K&L Gates Secures US$10.5 Million Jury Verdict for Innovative Solutions

A trial team from global law firm K&L Gates LLP secured a US$10.5 million jury award on behalf of Innovative Solutions International, Inc. against Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation for consumer protection and negligence claims.

In 2021, Washington-based grocery vendor Innovative Solutions purchased was what was supposed to be Pilgrim’s boneless and skinless chicken product for a line of chicken burgers, referred to as the Chile Lime Chicken Burger, which Innovative was selling through Trader Joe’s. Pilgrim’s chicken was not in fact boneless, and those bones were ground into the burgers. No consumer was injured but bits of bone were found in the burgers and there was a recall. As a result, Innovative Solutions lost the Chile Lime Chicken Burger account with Trader Joe’s.

Prior to the trial, the team secured a US$3 million settlement from another supply chain defendant, Houlihan Trading Co.

The cross-office trial team was led by Seattle partner Philip Guess and included associate Emaan Jaberi, Portland partner Elizabeth White, and associate Henry Ross. Seattle partner Bill Shaw provided support along with associates Katie Hollingsworth, Clara Virden, and Madisyn Uekawa, and Portland associate Sam Taylor. Every member of the trial team had at least one trial witness and handled argument before the before the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. 

“We are very pleased with the outcome of the trial,” said Innovative Solutions founder Frank Sorba. “We are grateful to the members of the jury for their service and we think the result was just.”

Guess said: “We are very happy with the verdict. I want to thank Innovative Solutions as well as the jury for the time and attention they provided. I also want to thank our outstanding team. You don’t get results like this without a high-quality team effort.”

With lawyers in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America, K&L Gates’ Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice is uniquely positioned to assist clients in resolving their disputes at the local, national, and international levels. The firm’s litigators are some of the foremost practitioners in their field, with many ranked nationally and internationally and including fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Law Institute, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, among others.