Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall could testify in Samsung damages trial

Scott_Forstall

Since Apple announced his exodus last fall, we’ve seen and heard very little from Scott Forstall. Actually, we haven’t seen him at all, and the only time we’ve heard his name mentioned has been in skeuomorphic jokes.

But that could change next month. According to a new report, Mr. Forstall could finally be forced out of hiding to appear as a witness alongside Phil Schiller in a partial damages retrial between Apple and Samsung…

Apple was awarded more than $1 billion in damages last fall, after a California jury found Samsung guilty of infringing on its patents. Judge Lucy Koh later cut that amount in half, but this retrial could recoup some of it.

PCWorld reports:

“On Friday, the two sides filed a joint pretrial statement and lists of potential witnesses they may call. Apple’s list includes Phil Schiller, the company’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, and Scott Forstall, the former senior vice president of iOS software. Forstall’s departure was announced last October following the widely criticized launch of Apple Maps, which some observers said may have led to his firing. Both Schiller and Forstall also testified in the original trial.”

Of course, this is just a potential witness list. But wow, how awkward would it be to testify on behalf of the company that not only sent you packing, but essentially laughed in your face as they undid years worth of your work.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. The trial is scheduled for November 12, in front of Judge Koh at the US District Court in San Jose.

Thoughts?