Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Item 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Other than as discussed below, during the period covered by this report, there were no material developments in the legal proceedings disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Pegasystems Litigation
On May 29, 2020, we filed a civil complaint against Pegasystems, Inc. (“Pegasystems”) and Youyong Zou, a Virginia resident, in the Circuit Court for Fairfax County, Virginia. Appian Corp v. Pegasystems Inc. & Youyong Zou, No. 2020-07216 (Fairfax Cty. Ct.) . On May 10, 2022, we announced the jury awarded us $2.036 billion in damages for misappropriation of our trade secrets and $1 in damages for violating the Virginia Computer Crimes Act. Pegasystems filed several post-trial motions seeking relief in the form of reducing the damages award or setting aside the jury’s verdict and either granting a new trial or entering judgment in Pegasystems’ favor. All of these motions were denied, and final judgment was entered by the Court on September 15, 2022. The final judgment reaffirmed the $2.036 billion in damages and also ordered Pegasystems to pay Appian $23.6 million in attorney's fees associated with the case as well as statutory post-judgment interest on the judgment at an annual rate of 6%, or approximately $122.0 million per year. Defendant Youyong Zou has satisfied the judgment of $5,000 (plus interest) against him in lieu of appealing that judgment. On September 15, 2022, Pegasystems filed a notice of appeal. Pegasystems is not required to pay us the judgment, attorney’s fees, or post-judgment interest until all appeals are exhausted. We cannot predict the outcome of any appeals or the time it will take to resolve them. Like any judgment, there is no guarantee we will be able to collect all or any portion of the judgment.
On July 3, 2019, Pegasystems filed a claim against us and BPM.com, Inc., a market analyst company, in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts alleging, among other things, that we had engaged in false advertising by re-publishing a study by BPM.com comparing us favorably to Pegasystems and by failing to disclose we commissioned the study. Pegasystems Inc. v. Appian Corp. & Business Process Management Inc. , No. 1:19-cv-11461 (D. Mass). We filed counterclaims against Pegasystems for false advertising, alleging numerous marketing and advertising materials used by Pegasystems were false and/or misleading. We also made a claim for defamation against Pegasystems based on public statements by Pegasystems’ executives. The Court issued a summary judgment ruling on September 30, 2022, granting in part and denying in part each party’s motions, and narrowing the damages and claims in the case. The Court also set a trial on each party’s claims for January 2023. We continue to believe Pegasystems’ claims are without merit.
Other Matters
From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, we are not presently a party to any legal proceedings that, if determined adversely to us, would individually or taken together have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, or cash flows. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, and other factors.
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