MILWAUKEE- Three years and $106 million dollars later, a small company in Germantown is now asking the federal government to further investigate the Chinese furniture manufacturer Man Wah.
A jury in Wisconsin found that Man Wah violated intellectual property laws when they created, and sold, defective versions of Raffel’s light-up cup holder for reclining furniture.
“This case is about far more than the blatant theft of Raffel’s patented technology. This is about Man Wah consistently demonstrating a pattern of unfair competitive practices across the board, at the expense of American companies like Raffel,” said Raffel’s lead trial counsel John Scheller, a partner at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, during an international telephonic press conference.
Scheller says Raffel is considering requesting an investigation for illegal and unfair competition by the Federal Trade Commission and the International Trade Commission. The company is also considering asking the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate and possible recall all Man Wah furniture imported into the US that included the cup holders.
“We do know there are electrical issues that are occurring,” Scheller said Thursday.
According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, Man Wah is expected to appeal, meaning Raffel may not get the full amount.
The lawsuit is the second largest amount awarded by a jury in the court’s history, second to only the Equal Opportunity Commission v. Wal-Mart Stores in which $125 million was awarded in July of 2021.
