247-4440 [email protected] Attorneys for Plaintiffs TDM America, LLC and UTEX Holdings, LLC
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Case 2:11-cv-04338-ES-CLW Document 12 Filed 08/18/11 Page 1 of 13 PageID: 364 David W. Denenberg DAVIDOFF MALITO & HUTCHER LLP 200 Garden City Plaza Garden City, NY 11 530 Telephone: (5 16) 247-4440 [email protected] Attorneys for Plaintiffs TDM America, LLC and UTEX Holdings, LLC IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY Civil Action No. 2: 11-CV-04338 (ES) (CLW) TDM AMERICA, LLC and UTEX HOLDINGS, LLC, Hon. Esther Sallas, U.S.D.J. Plaintiffs, Hon. Cathy L. Waldor, U.S.M.J. VERIFIED AMENDED COMPLAINT FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT GLOUCESTER COUNTY IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY, DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL Defendant. DOCUMENT FILED ELECTRONICALLY VERIFIED AMENDED COMPLAINT FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT TDM America, LLC ("TDM") and UTEX Holdings, LLC ("UTEX Holdings" and, together with TDM, "plaintiffs"), as and for their verified amended complaint against defendant Gloucester County Improvement Authority ("GCIA"), state: NATURE OF THE COMPLAINT 1. This is an action for infringement of one or more claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,293,731 (the "'73 1 patent") issued on September 25,2001 and entitled "Method for Treatment of Dredged Materials to Form a Structural Fill", a copy of which is attached as Case 2:11-cv-04338-ES-CLW Document 12 Filed 08/18/11 Page 2 of 13 PageID: 365 Exhibit 1. The '73 1 patent was duly, validly and legally issued to its inventor and was duly, validly and legally assigned to TDM. THE PARTIES 2. TDM is a Nevada limited liability company having a business address at 4570 West Grove Drive, Suite 240, Addison, Texas 75001-5395. TDM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UTEX Holdings. 3. UTEX Holdings, LLC is a Delaware limited liability company having a business address at 4570 West Grove Drive, Suite 240, Addison, Texas 75001-5395. 4. Upon information and belief, defendant GCIA is a county agency of the County of Gloucester, State of New Jersey, having a place of business located at 109 Budd Blvd., Woodbury, NJ 08096. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 5. Plaintiffs allege that this action arises because the invention of the '73 1 patent is being used by, for and/or on behalf of defendant and/or because defendant is actively inducing infringement of the '73 1 patent in conjunction with the processing and/or contemplated processing of dredged materials by Weeks Marine, Inc. ("Weeks Marine") pursuant to, and in accordance with, its contract with defendant and various permits secured by, and/or in the name of, defendant. 6. This action arises under the United States patent laws, 35 U.S.C. 5 101, et seq., including but not limited to 35 U.S.C. $9 271,281 - 287 and 296. This Court has jurisdiction over these counterclaims pursuant to 28 U.S.C. $5 1331, 1338,2201 and 2202. 7. GCIA is subject to personal jurisdiction in this judicial district because it is a county agency of the County of Gloucester, State of New Jersey, having a principal place of Case 2:11-cv-04338-ES-CLW Document 12 Filed 08/18/11 Page 3 of 13 PageID: 366 business at 109 Budd Blvd., Woodbury, New Jersey and, upon information and belief, is registered to conduct business in the State of New Jersey, and actually conducts business in the State of New Jersey. 8. Venue is proper under 28 U.S.C. $5 1391 and 1400. BACKGROUND 9. TDM is the owner, by assignment, of all right, title and interest in the '73 1 patent, which is a duly issued and valid patent. 10. UTEX Holdings is the worldwide exclusive licensee of the '73 1 patent, as well as other patents, trade secrets and know-how, related to the treatment and processing of waste materials including dredged materials. 11. The '73 1 patent is generally directed to a method for in-barge treatment of materials dredged from a waterway, such as a harbor or channel, and forming a mixture suitable for beneficial re-use as structural fill. 12. Plaintiffs are in the business of remediation, processing, handling and placement of waste materials including dredged materials. 13. Upon information and belief, GCIA is responsible for providing integrated, cost effective, and environmentally sound solid waste disposal, recycling, and special waste management systems for Gloucester County, New Jersey. 14. Upon information and belief, GCIA is acting as the developer of the Port of Paulsboro, New Jersey and is overseeing the design and construction of the future Port of Paulsboro, New Jersey. 15. Upon information and belief, South Jersey Port Corporation ("SJPC") specializes in the management of ports in southern New Jersey. Case 2:11-cv-04338-ES-CLW Document 12 Filed 08/18/11 Page 4 of 13 PageID: 367 16. Upon information and belief, SJPC, in conjunction with GCIA, are redeveloping former terminals, such as a British Petroleum ("BP") terminal in the Port of Paulsboro, into a new, deep-water marine terminal with associated operations for the future Port of Paulsboro, New Jersey. 17. Upon information and belief, on or about December 30,2010, GCIA awarded the Paulsboro Marine Terminal bullead, dredging and subgrade contract no. PMT-004 (the "Paulsboro contract") to Weeks Marine, which is a $48 million contract, for, inter alia, bulkhead, dredging and subgrade preparation activities for the future Port of Paulsboro. A copy of excerpts of the Paulsboro contract are attached as Exhibit 2. 18. Upon information and belief, the Paulsboro contract requires dredging approximately 334,000 cubic yards of dredged materials and amendment andlor treatment of approximately 86,000 cubic yards of dredged materials with Portland cement andlor other additives to bind and stabilize certain constituents of concern (i.e. contaminants) therein. 19. Upon information and belief, on behalf of SJPC, GCIA applied to the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ("NJDEP") for a Waterfront DevelopmentIWater Quality CertificateIAcceptable Use Determination permit to construct a bulklbreak bulk marine port facility at the former BP Paulsboro Terminal Site No. 4555, 303 Mantua Creek Road, Paulsboro Borough and Township of West Deptford. The permit was approved by the NJDEP on October 15,2010 as permit no. 0800-07-0003.3 (the "NJDEP permit"). A copy of the NJDEP permit is attached as Exhibit 3. 20. Upon information and belief, on behalf of SJPC, GCIA applied for a permit from the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the "Army"), to construct the Paulsboro Marine Terminal in the borough of Paulsboro and West Deptford Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey. The permit was approved by the Army on January -4- Case 2:11-cv-04338-ES-CLW Document 12 Filed 08/18/11 Page 5 of 13 PageID: 368 28,201 1 as permit no. CENAP-OP-R-2007-1125-35 (the "Army permit"). A copy of the Army permit is attached as Exhibit 4. 2 1. Upon information and belief, GCIA applied for the permits on behalf of the SJPC in contemplation of a contractor being awarded the Paulsboro contract and performing in accordance with the terms of the permit. 22. Upon further information and belief, the NJDEP and the Army permits provided for, inter alia, the redevelopment of the Paulsboro Marine Terminal which included dredging of approximately 334,000 cubic yards of dredged materials and treatment of approximately 86,000 cubic yards of the dredged materials with Portland cement or other additives in a land-based treatment facility. (See, Exhibit 3, at p. 2 of NJDEP permit; Exhibit 4 at pp. 3-4 of Army permit). In accordance with the award of the Paulsboro contract to Weeks Marine, that dredging and treatment would be performed by Weeks Marine. 23. Upon information and belief, by April 201 1, in an effort to ensure, or increase, the profitability of its implementation of, and performance under, the Paulsboro contract, Weeks Marine decided to alter its treatment process to the in-barge process described and claimed in the '73 1 patent. In such process, dredged materials would be placed in barges or scows and treated in the barge or scow by pumping an additivelwater slurry to the barge and mixing the slurry with the dredged materials. To enable such a modification and in contemplation of Weeks Marine's in-barge processing of dredged materials under the Paulsboro contract, by letter dated April 26,201 1, GCIA, on behalf of SJPC, requested approval of the NJDEP and the Army to modify the NJDEP and the Army permits (the "permit modification") for a "deviation in construction methodology from on-site upland dredge material processing to in-barge processing of dredge material." A copy of the permit modification, including the drawings, a schematic and submissions therewith, is attached as Exhibit 5. -5- Case 2:11-cv-04338-ES-CLW Document 12 Filed 08/18/11 Page 6 of 13 PageID: 369 24. Upon information and belief, the permit modification included a general operational description from Weeks Marine wherein Weeks Marine describes, in some detail, the in-barge processing of dredged material at its mobile "on the water" dredged material processing facility ("DMPF") as contemplated by Weeks Marine for the Paulsboro Marine Terminal. A copy of the general operational description is included as part of the permit modification attached as Exhibit 5. The general operational description provides in relevant part: Ovewiew Weeks' DMPF concept includes an in-barge stabilization process that blends Portland cement with dredged material (DM) for dewatering and chemical stabilization. All processing equipment will be located on a deck barge (processing barge) using spuds to fix its location. Barges (dredge scows) loaded with DM will remain at the dredging site overnight to allow initial dewatering.