PRL USA Holdings, Inc. v. United States Polo Association, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
520 F.3d 109 (2d Cir. 2008)
In Ralph Lauren's (plaintiff) trademark-infringement suit over similar polo-player logos used by the U.S. Polo Association (USPA) (defendant), USPA introduced testimony that Ralph Lauren had told USPA during settlement talks that a particular logo version was not offensive, after which USPA invested significant money rolling that logo out, to support an estoppel-by-acquiescence defense; the district court admitted the testimony over Ralph Lauren's Rule 408 objection and found three of USPA's four logos non-infringing.
Whether a statement made in settlement negotiations is admissible if introduced for a purpose other than proving liability for a claim or the amount of a claim.