Samsung asks for new Apple trial

Samsung has called for a new trial of its high-profile US patent case against Apple, suggesting the foreman of the jury which awarded the US group $1 billion in damages may have been biased by an undisclosed lawsuit of his own.

The South Korean company said Velvin Hogan, the San Jose jury foreman, did not tell the court before the trial that he was sued in 1993 for breach of contract by Seagate, the computer storage manufacturer in which Samsung now holds a significant stake. Hogan subsequently filed for personal bankruptcy. “Mr Hogan’s failure to disclose the Seagate suit raises issues of bias that Samsung should have been allowed to explore in questioning,” Samsung said in a filing.