Judge orders ‘mock trial’ behind closed doors in DuPont lawsuit against Invista

Judges orders ‘mock trial’ in DuPont lawsuit

DOVER, Del. — A “mock trial” behind closed doors is planned in a lawsuit filed by the DuPont Co. against privately held Invista, which bought much of DuPont’s textiles and interiors business several years ago.

DuPont claims Invista broke an agreement to provide DuPont with chemical products it needs to produce special nylon polymers and engineering resins.

A federal judge in Wilmington has scheduled what he calls a “nonbinding mock trial” starting Jan. 12. According to court records, the trial will include a jury, witnesses, top-ranking executives, and a court transcriber. But it won’t include members of the public, because the judge said the courtroom will be sealed and the proceedings kept confidential.

A lawyer for Invista has described the trial as more of settlement mechanism than an adversarial proceeding.