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Judge Orders Zimmer To Pay Stryker $228M

The jury had awarded Stryker $70 million and Jonker tripled that amount to $210 million because Zimmer willfully infringed on three patents held by Stryker. Jonker also said Stryker is entitled to $7.2 million in additional damages, $11.7 million in interest and ordered Zimmer to pay Stryker's attorney's fees.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A U.S. district judge ruled in medical device maker Stryker Corp.'s favor in a patent-infringement case, ordering rival Zimmer Holdings Inc. to pay Stryker about $228 million.

Judge Robert Jonker of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan threw out Zimmer's challenge of a jury verdict in Stryker's favor.

The jury had awarded Stryker $70 million and Jonker tripled that amount to $210 million because Zimmer willfully infringed on three patents held by Stryker. Jonker also said Stryker is entitled to $7.2 million in additional damages, $11.7 million in interest and ordered Zimmer to pay Stryker's attorney's fees.

Stryker sued Zimmer in 2010, saying Zimmer's line of Pulsavac Plus device infringed on its patents. They are hand-held, battery-powered, disposable devices used to clean wounds and remove dead tissue during surgery.

Zimmer said it is disappointed with the judge's rulings. The Warsaw, Ind., company said it plans to appeal the jury verdict and Tuesday's rulings.

Shares of Stryker, which is based in Kalamazoo, Mich., rose 11 cents to $70.90 on Thursday. Shares of Zimmer, which is headquartered in Warsaw, Ind., rose 70 cents to $83.29.

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