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Lutron Loses Appeal in J Geiger Lawsuit But Gets Penalty Reduction

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The judge hearing Lutron Electronics’ appeal of its loss to GeigTech East Bay (part of J. Geiger shades) in a patent infringement case has delivered her decision and it is sure to please neither side. Earlier this year a jury declared Lutron a willful infringer of a GeigTech patent and awarded it an eye-popping $34.6 million. Lutron appealed asking for a new trial, which was denied, but the Judge cut the award to $3.8 million, agreeing that it was “grossly excessive.”

So what happens now? Read on to see…

See more on this ruling of Lutron’s appeal of Geigtech’s trial win

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Sharp Cuts CEO After Two Years of Losses; Company Scaling Back LCD Div Significantly

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Sharp display at a trade show
REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo

Remember: Sharp Manufactures Onkyo, Integra, Pioneer & Elite

Sharp Corporation, part of top Apple supplier Foxconn, saw its annual shareholders meeting turn contentious this year as investors are frustrated with management after the company has turned in two years of significant net losses. Perhaps to help mollify investors, the company announced its President and CEO, Robert Wu, has stepped down from his role at the company. Sharp also announced it is scaling back its struggling LCD business.

See more on troubles at Sharp

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-In Memoriam- Merrill Smith

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Photo of Merrill Smith

I have recently learned about the death of a dear friend and personal mentor, Merrill Smith. Formerly a prominent executive in our industry, Merrill passed away late last year in Orange, California. He was a unique and savvy leader who touched many lives by helping them navigate the vicissitudes of business and life’s daily challenges. He will be missed by all those who knew him best.

Learn more about the life of Merrill Smith

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Voxx Fiscal 2024 Annual Shareholders Meeting – More Restructuring, Disposal of Brands Ahead

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Investor Relations page on Voxx website

On Tuesday, Voxx International Corporation (Nasdaq: VOXX) held its annual shareholders meeting, closing out a tough Fiscal 2024 with declining sales (down 12.2%) and deepening net losses (up over 53%). Sounding a little defensive, Ari M. Shalam, the company’s Co-Vice Chairman of the Board and son of company founder John J. Shalam, promised investors more restructuring and said the company will shed assets, including some of its previous brand acquisitions, to generate cash to lower debt and prepare the company for healthier growth ahead.

See more on the remarkable Voxx Annual Shareholders Meeting

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Politan Reveals Masimo Lawsuit To All Investors; Says It’s Desperate & Defamatory

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Image of Masimo v. Politan lawsuit title page

Masimo: ‘Confidential Informants’ Allege Koffey Has Breached His Fiduciary Duties as a Director

Almost exactly one week ago, Masimo and its Board of Directors filed a lawsuit against Politan Capital Management in which it alleged Politan’s proxy materials contained material misrepresentations and asked the court to order the activist investor to correct them. The company also delayed its upcoming annual stockholders meeting from July to September. Two days after that, Politan responded with a countersuit in which it asked the court to order Masimo to hold its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders as soon as possible.

Now Politan has taken the unusual step of publishing Masimo’s lawsuit against them and providing it to all Masimo stockholders. The Masimo suit, which has some outrageous claims against Politan and particularly CIO Quentin Koffey, is being provided by a confident Koffey who believes investors will see it for what he says it is…a desperate attempt to stop the investor vote for independent directors.

See more on Politan publishing the Masimo lawsuit against it

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With Week 3 of Strike About to Begin, Samsung Management Says, Let’s Talk

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NSEU leaders say worker participation has only increased as strike enters third week [Click to enlarge]

As I’ve been reporting, Samsung’s largest union, the 30,000+ member strong National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), has launched a strike against one of the largest employers in all of South Korea. This is not a common occurrence anywhere in Asia, and it is the first major strike Samsung has ever experienced.

Now, after two weeks of continuous work stoppage, Samsung management finally indicated to the union that it was interested in restarting the negotiations – a big win for union leaders.

See more on the first-ever union-directed work stoppage at Samsung

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Savant Names Bryce Judd as CRO for Installed Smart Home & Power Biz

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Savant website image

Savant Systems, Inc. today announced that it has named Bryce Judd as its Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for the professionally installed smart home solutions and Savant Power business units. You may recognize that name as Bryce was head of sales for Control4 from 2016-2020.

Learn more about Bryce Judd at Savant

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Politan Returns Fire; Files Countersuit Against Masimo & Directors in Delaware

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Politan investor presentation cover slide
Cover slide to Politan’s investor presentation

Claims Company is Violating Its Own Bylaws & Delaware Law

On Tuesday, I told you that Joe Kiani and Masimo Directors filed a lawsuit against Politan Capital Management and Quentin Koffey, asking the courts to force Poltian to correct what it claims are material misrepresentations in Politan’s proxy materials provided to Masimo stockholders. Late Wednesday, Politan returned fire, filing its own countersuit – but in a much more strategic way…

See more on Politan countersuing Masimo

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Parasound VP of Sales Larry Bennett Leaves Company as It Enters New Phase

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Larry Bennett, Former VP of Sales at Parasound

Several sources have reported that Parasound Vice President of Sales Larry Bennett has left the company. Bennett was one of the first people brought in when new owner David Sheriff purchased the company from retiring founder Richard Schram and has been at his side during a challenging transition period. I reached out to both Larry Bennett and CEO David Sheriff, finally connecting with Sheriff late Wednesday afternoon, to learn more about this unexpected news.

Learn more about Larry Bennett leaving Parasound

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Samsung Strike Suddenly Gets Serious

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The main union at Samsung, the NSEU, held a strike at a production facility
A union-staged event in front of a Samsung facility in the rain. Look past the signs to get a sense of the thousands of union members who participated in the strike [Click to enlarge]

The relationship between Samsung and its largest union is rapidly deteriorating and suddenly, a strike called by the union initially more for show than impact, has turned very serious. That means that as the union progresses its tactics, the impact on production is likely to quickly reach the point that it will be felt by the company and all of its customers.

See more on the escalating strike at Samsung

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