INEOS Phenol confirms that it has now settled the Mannsfeld case.
Dr Mannsfeld had claimed that in the late 1990's, Phenolchemie, a company INEOS acquired from Degussa-Huls in 2001, appropriated a purported trade secret or idea in connection with its use of phenol residue as a feedstock for making carbon black and then patented that idea. INEOS Phenol denied this claim and although a jury verdict was awarded in favour of Dr Mannsfeld in October 2008, INEOS Phenol had intended to appeal the jury verdict to the Supreme Court of Alabama. However, the parties subsequently agreed to mediation and found an appropriate basis for settlement.
INEOS is currently considering all options in terms of recovering such costs from one or more third parties.
ENDS