U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the special counsel in the DOJ’s investigation into Hunter Biden, was previously involved in a Moderna lawsuit in which he defended the massive pharmaceutical company from any liability relating to patent violations.
The U.S. government, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, filed a statement of interest Feb. 14 that urged a federal court to divert liability for alleged patent violations committed by Moderna to the government itself. Weiss was one of six people named on the DOJ statement of interest.
Despite the backing of the U.S. government, Moderna failed to persuade a federal judge it should not have to face a patent lawsuit over its COVID-19 vaccine and that the United States should have been sued instead @blakebrittain https://t.co/3IfejzMWrm pic.twitter.com/4khzi1Arnv
— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) March 13, 2023
The statement of interest supported Moderna’s argument that because its COVID-19 vaccines were made specifically for the government, the taxpayer should bear the liability associated with alleged patent infringements. The judge in the case ruled against Moderna anyway, determining that the shots weren’t made specifically for the government, but rather that it had been a beneficiary by happenstance.
“The effect of the Government’s ‘authorization and consent’ is to relieve Moderna of any liability for patent infringement resulting in performance of the ’-0100 Contract and to transfer to the United States any liability for the manufacture or use of the inventions claimed in the Patents-in-Suit resulting from the authorized and consented acts,” claimed the filing.
Had the motion been accepted, Moderna would owe no damages for the potential theft of technology from two smaller pharmaceutical companies despite the allegations.
After the filing of the statement of interest, Moderna both attempted to raise prices on its vaccines and grow its “golden parachute” for CEO Stéphane Bancel to over $926 million.
JUST IN: Biden AG Merrick Garland appoints U.S. Attorney David Weiss as a special counsel in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation pic.twitter.com/HBaNDUUkh9
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 11, 2023
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss special counsel for the ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes and foreign business dealings Aug. 11. IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler testified that DOJ prosecutors slow-walked and obstructed the Hunter Biden case under Weiss’ leadership prior to his special counsel designation.