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
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