No. 23-900October Term 2024Decided Feb 26, 2025
Dewberry Group, Inc., fka Dewberry Capital Corporation, Petitioner v. Dewberry Engineers Inc.
The Supreme Court ruled that under the Lanham Act, a trademark infringement plaintiff can only recover profits earned by the named defendant, not those earned by legally separate, non-party corporate affiliates.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Feb 26, 2025
- What it's about
The Supreme Court ruled that under the Lanham Act, a trademark infringement plaintiff can only recover profits earned by the named defendant, not those earned by legally separate, non-party corporate affiliates. The decision reinforces the principle of corporate separateness, preventing courts from treating distinct entities as a single unit for calculating damages unless the corporate veil is pierced.
Question presented
Does an award of the “defendant's profits” under the Lanham Act allow a court to require the defendant to disgorge profits earned by legally separate, non-party corporate affiliates?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit / Decision released Feb 26, 2025
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided February 26, 2025
The Court released its decision 77 days after oral argument on December 11, 2024. The median for cases argued in December is 148 days.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Mar 30, 2026
- Method
- Methodology
Primary materials9
Supreme Court docket 23-900
docket | Mar 30, 2026
Primary case document
Supreme Court document | Mar 30, 2026
CourtListener docket record
docket | Mar 30, 2026
Questions Presented
brief | Mar 8, 2026
opinion
opinion | Feb 26, 2025
Opinion
opinion | Feb 26, 2025
Oral Arguments - Dewberry Group, Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc.
audio | Dec 11, 2024
Petition
brief | Feb 16, 2024
Lower Court Orders/Opinions
order | Dec 4, 2023