Federal Judge in California Sets Appeal Bond for Mattel at $315 Million in Bratz Trade Secrets Appeal

The Washington Post and other sources are reporting that late last week United States District Court Judge David Carter set Mattel's appeal bond at $315 million. This was expected, of course, but it's still a whopper of a bond.

What's an appeal bond? When a party who loses originally in the trial court wants to appeal a judgment for money damages, the original winning party is at risk of nonpayment or that the purpose of the appeal is to stall for time or other frivolous reasons. The trial court orders the appealing party to post an "appeal bond" - essentially as insurance that the winning party is secure in its judgment because the losing party guarantees payment, plus costs of the appeal, if they lose on appeal.