No. 25-149

United Services Automobile Association v. PNC Bank N.A.

Lower Court: Federal Circuit
Docketed: 2025-08-07
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Experienced Counsel
Tags: administrative-law administrative-procedure-act agency-decision arbitrary-capricious patent-challenge patent-trial-appeal-board
Key Terms:
AdministrativeLaw Securities Patent Privacy JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference: 2025-09-29
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether an agency decision is arbitrary and capricious when it fails to justify a different result reached on saliently similar facts, but involving a different party?

Question Presented (from Petition)

“It is a fundamental principle of administrative law that agencies must treat like cases alike.” Grayscale Invs., LLC v. SEC , 82 F.4th 1239, 1242 (D.C. Cir. 2023). Thus, in the D.C. Circuit, an agency decision that “[f]ail[s] to distinguish prior orders in similar cases” and “justify different results reached on similar facts” will be vacated. Id. at 1245 (citation omitted). The Federal Circuit, by contrast, does not require agencies to provide such an explanation except when the parties and the issues a re identical. In this case, the agency upheld two patents against a challenge brought by one bank, but invalidated the same patents against substantively the same challenge brought by a different bank. The question presented is as follows: Whether an agency decision is arbitrary and capricious when it fails to justify a different result reached on saliently similar facts, but involving a different party?

Docket Entries

2025-10-06
Petition DENIED. Justice Alito took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition.
2025-09-10
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/29/2025.
2025-09-10
Reply of United Services Automobile Association submitted.
2025-09-10
Reply of petitioner United Services Automobile Association filed. (Distributed)
2025-08-27
Brief of PNC Bank, N.A. in opposition submitted.
2025-08-27
Brief of respondent PNC Bank N.A. in opposition filed.
2025-08-05
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due September 8, 2025)

Attorneys

PNC Bank, N.A.
Mark Christopher FlemingWilmerHale, Respondent
Mark Christopher FlemingWilmerHale, Respondent
United Services Automobile Association
William McGinley JayGoodwin Procter, LLP, Petitioner
William McGinley JayGoodwin Procter, LLP, Petitioner