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Legal Matters
9 Months Ended
Dec. 29, 2012
Legal Matters [Abstract]  
Legal Matters

11. Legal Matters

 

From time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings concerning matters arising in connection with the conduct of our business activities.  We regularly evaluate the status of legal proceedings in which we are involved, to assess whether a loss is probable or there is a reasonable possibility that a loss or additional loss may have been incurred and determine if accruals are appropriate.  We further evaluate each legal proceeding to assess whether an estimate of possible loss or range of loss can be made, if accruals are not appropriate.

 

For the cases described below, management is unable to provide a meaningful estimate of the possible loss or range of possible loss because, among other reasons, (i) the proceedings are in various stages; (ii) damages have not been sought or specified; (iii) damages are unsupported and/or exaggerated; (iv) there is uncertainty as to the outcome of pending appeals or motions; (v) there are significant factual issues to be resolved; and/or (vi) there are novel legal issues or unsettled legal theories to be presented or a large number of parties.  For these cases, however, management does not believe, based on currently available information, that the outcomes of these proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.  However, the ultimate resolutions of these various proceedings and matters are inherently difficult to predict; as such, our operating results could be materially affected  by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these proceedings or matters for any particular period, depending, in part, upon the operating results for such period.

 

On June 4, 2012, U.S. Ethernet Innovations, LLC (the “Plaintiff”) filed suit against Cirrus Logic and two other defendants in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas.  The Plaintiff alleges that Cirrus Logic infringed four U.S. patents relating to Ethernet technology.  In its complaint, the Plaintiff indicated that it is seeking unspecified monetary damages, including up to treble damages for willful infringement.  We answered the complaint on June 29, 2012 denying the allegations of infringement and seeking a declaratory judgment that the patents in suit were invalid and not infringed.  On September 21, 2012, the Plaintiff amended its complaint to allege that we infringed on a fifth patent related to similar technology.  We answered the amended complaint on October 8, 2012, again denying the allegations of infringement and seeking a declaratory judgment that the patents in suit were invalid and not infringed.