The CAFC addresses settlement agreements in Plasmacam case

PlasmaCAM, Inc. (“Plasmacam”) sued CNCElectronics, LLC, Fourhills Designs, LLC, and Thomas and Martha Caudle (collectively “CNC”) in the Eastern District of Texas for infringing U.S. Patent No. 7,071,441 (“the ’441 patent”) for which Plasmacam has an exclusive license. In December 2019, the parties notified the district court that they had settled the case. However, when the parties met to draft a formal agreement, it became evident that they interpreted the settlement differently, and further negotiations resulted. The parties eventually advised the district court that they had reached a complete agreement. The district court granted the motion to enforce Plasmacam’s version of that agreement and ordered CNC to execute it. CNC appeals. We hold that this court has jurisdiction over CNC’s appeal. We also reverse the district court’s judgment ordering CNC to execute Plasmacam’s version of the settlement agreement and conclude that CNC’s version of the agreement accurately reflects the parties’ understanding. We remand for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.