Remote Depositions Warranted During COVID-19 Pandemic, Minn. Federal Judge Rules

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota federal judge has upheld a magistrate judge’s ruling that depositions in a patent infringement case should be conducted remotely, rather than in-person, given “the indisputable health risks connected with travel and in-person gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In a July 23 ruling, Judge Susan Nelson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota added that the parties will not be prejudiced by a remote deposition despite the complexity of the discovery due to modern videoconference technology.

Grupo Petrotemex, a Mexican corporation that manufactures polyethylene terephthalate (PET) — a chemical used to make plastic products …