Velocity Patent LLC v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, No. 13 C 8413, Slip Op. (N.D. Ill. Apr. 14, 2014) (Darrah, J.).

Judge Darrah granted plaintiff Velocity Patent’s Local Rule 40.4 motion to consolidate patent cases against various corporate entities of Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Jaguar and Mercedes.  Audi objected to consolidation, while the other defendants did not oppose it.  While asserting the same patent alone is not sufficient for consolidation, the Court held that construing the claims in a single proceeding would save “substantial judicial time and resources.”  And the Court held that the separate proceedings were susceptible to a unified resolution, although the Court did not guarantee that they would be resolved in a single proceeding.