TRO Case
Hexin Holding Limited v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A
Patent Infringement
Case No.
1:2026-cv-04877
Filing Date
4/28/2026
Plaintiff
HEXIN HOLDING LIMITED
Court
Northern District of Illinois
5/7/2026
AMENDED complaint by Hexin Holding Limited against Caroti and the Individual and/or Entity Operating Caroti and terminating The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A
4/30/2026
MINUTE entry before the Honorable LaShonda A. Hunt: This case has been assigned to Judge LaShonda A. Hunt. Upon review of the patent infringement complaint and other filings, the Court questions whether Plaintiff has established sufficient grounds for joinder of all 40 defendants under 35 U.S.C. � 299. See Tang v. P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Schedule A, No. 23 C 4587, 2024 WL 68332, at *1 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 4, 2024) ("[A]ccused infringers may not be joined in one action as defendant. based solely on allegations that they each have infringed the patent or patents in suit." (quoting 35 U.S.C. � 299(b))). The Court also questions whether Plaintiff has shown that the Court can exercise personal jurisdiction over the defendants. To adequately plead personal jurisdiction, Plaintiff must sufficiently allege that the defendants actually sold the allegedly infringing product to a customer in Illinois. See Liu v. Monthly, No. 25-2074, 2026 WL 880018, at *1 (7th Cir. Mar. 31, 2026) (citing Curry v. Revolution Lab'ys, LLC, 949 F.3d 385, 400 (7th Cir. 2020)). The complaint alleges sales in this district, but those allegations are conclusory, and Plaintiff did not provide proof of actual sales in this district. See id. (remanding with instructions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction because plaintiff had not provided screenshot evidence of actual sales in Illinois). Finally, Plaintiff has not established good cause under Local Rule 26.2 or Seventh Circuit precedent to justify sealing the names of defendants or documents pertaining to alleged infringing activity. "Secrecy makes little sense if the goal of the litigation is to protect rightsholders' IP interests by obtaining an injunction against defendants' sales of infringing or counterfeit goods." See Eicher Motors Ltd. v. P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Schedule "A", 794 F. Supp. 3d 543, 552 (N.D. Ill. 2025). More importantly, this presumption of sealing runs counter to the well-established authority of this Circuit holding that "[m]any a litigant would prefer that the subject of the case. be kept from the curious (including its business rivals and customers), but the tradition that litigation is open to the public is of very long standing." See Union Oil Co. of Cal. v. Leavell, 220 F.3d 562, 567-568 (7th Cir. 2000). For those reasons, the motion for leave to file under seal [4] is denied. The Clerk of Court is directed to unseal the document filed at [5] forthwith. By 5/7/26, Plaintiff must file either a memorandum explaining why joinder and personal jurisdiction are proper, or an amended complaint specifically naming and identifying each defendant being sued and setting forth with more than conclusory statements the alleged infringing activity and grounds for personal jurisdiction. Failure to do so will result in the current complaint being dismissed without prejudice and this case being closed. Mailed notice
4/29/2026
MOTION by Plaintiff HEXIN HOLDING LIMITED for leave to file under seal (Deng, Faye Yifei)
4/29/2026
NOTIFICATION of Affiliates pursuant to Local Rule 3.2 by HEXIN HOLDING LIMITED (Deng, Faye Yifei)
4/29/2026
CLERK'S NOTICE: Pursuant to Local Rule 73.1(b), a United States Magistrate Judge of this court is available to conduct all proceedings in this civil action. If all parties consent to have the currently assigned United States Magistrate Judge conduct all proceedings in this case, including trial, the entry of final judgment, and all post-trial proceedings, all parties must sign their names on the attached Consent To form. This consent form is eligible for filing only if executed by all parties. The parties can also express their consent to jurisdiction by a magistrate judge in any joint filing, including the Joint Initial Status Report or proposed Case Management Order.
4/29/2026
COMPLAINT filed by HEXIN HOLDING LIMITED; Filing fee $ 405, receipt number CILNDC-25044817.
4/29/2026
ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiff HEXIN HOLDING LIMITED by Faye Yifei Deng (Deng, Faye Yifei)
4/29/2026
SEALED DOCUMENT by Plaintiff HEXIN HOLDING LIMITED Schedule A regarding Complaint 1 (Deng, Faye Yifei)
4/29/2026
CASE ASSIGNED to the Honorable LaShonda A. Hunt. Designated as Magistrate Judge the Honorable Keri L. Holleb Hotaling. Case assignment: Random assignment. (Civil Category 1).
4/29/2026