A federal jury in Florida ordered Joby Aviation to pay Aerosonic LLC $116.8 million for misappropriating trade secrets. The jury, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, found that Joby acted willfully and maliciously in using Aerosonic’s intellectual property related to air data probes, sensors critical to aircraft.
Aerosonic’s lawsuit alleged that Joby used confidential information shared under a non-disclosure agreement to develop its own air data probes. The verdict is a significant financial setback for Joby.
The case could lead to further legal action, including a possible injunction barring Joby from using the contested technology. Such a restriction could affect Joby’s FAA certification process.