“We are disappointed by the verdict,” said Blaine Candel, vice president, Intellectual Property at the Institute.  “Santa Rosa does not intend to address the issue of appeal until all proceedings in the trial court are concluded.”

The City of Albuquerque filed the contract dispute suit against Santa Rosa in 1999.  The first trial resulted in a deadlocked jury, 7-5 in Santa Rosa’s favor, after six days of deliberation in October 2001. In the retrial, the case was submitted to the jury on May 16, 2002 after a six-week trial in the Bernalillo County Superior Court.  The jury deliberated for 17 days before announcing the verdict.

The Santa Rosa Institute, winner of the U.S. National Medal of Technology, is a leading biotechnology company that discovers and develops human pharmaceuticals for significant unmet medical needs. The company has its headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico.