Joby Aviation has asked a federal court in Tampa, Florida, to overturn a jury’s nearly $117 million award to Aerosonic over air-data probes used to measure pressure and calculate an aircraft’s airspeed, altitude and angle of attack. The verdict exposes the electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing developer to potential damages after findings that it breached a confidentiality agreement and wilfully misappropriated trade secrets.
The federal jury’s 2 October verdict awarded Aerosonic approximately $68.6 million for breach of the agreement, $29.9 million in compensatory trade-secrets damages and $18.3 million in punitive damages. The jury also rejected Joby’s counterclaims alleging that Aerosonic had breached the agreement and supplied defective probes.
Aerosonic, a Clearwater, Florida-based aviation-components supplier, provided probes to Joby after the companies signed a nondisclosure agreement. The supplier alleged that Joby used confidential designs, engineering information and test data to develop its own probes in about two years. Joby maintains that it developed its air-data system independently through years of engineering and manufacturing work.
Joby has characterised the verdict as unsupported by the evidence and inconsistent with the law. The award is not yet a final judgment, and Joby plans to pursue post-trial remedies and an appeal if necessary. The dispute underscores the confidentiality and intellectual-property risks that can arise when eVTOL manufacturers move from purchased specialised components to in-house designs.