Joby Falls 2% as Jury Hands Aerosonic a $116.9 Million Trade-Secret Verdict; Archer Slips, EHang Declines 3%

A contested federal jury verdict against Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY | JOBY Price Prediction) is adding fresh pressure to an air taxi group that was already struggling for altitude, and the selling extends to names with no role in the case. Joby stock is down 2% to $5.68 in morning trading, leaving the shares down 57% year to date.

Checking in on the peers, Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR) shares are slipping 0.9% to $4.61, a softer decline than Joby stock is posting. EHang Holdings (NASDAQ:EH) shares are falling 3% to $3.98, a steeper drop than either U.S. rival is posting. Archer and EHang have no stake in the Aerosonic case, so the weakness in their shares points to a broader drag on the group.

Meanwhile, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) is down 0.4% to $776.05, a modest dip next to the air taxi names. That gap suggests Joby’s legal setback is landing on a sector already under strain, with the broad market offering little cover. For sector context, the ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (BATS:ARKQ) is down 2% to $124.38.

Jury Sides With Aerosonic in Joby Trade-Secret Case

A federal jury in Tampa, sitting in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, found on October 2 that Joby owes $116.9 million to aviation supplier Aerosonic. The award remains subject to post-trial motions and appeals. Aerosonic had sued over pressure-measuring air data probes it sold to Joby, claiming Joby used Aerosonic’s proprietary designs and data to build in-house versions. Jurors also rejected a countersuit from Joby saying that Aerosonic supplied defective probes.

Joby said it strongly disagrees with the verdict, calling it unsupported by the evidence and inconsistent with the law, and asserted that its air data system grew out of years of independent engineering work. Joby has asked the court to reverse the verdict and intends to pursue post-trial and appellate remedies.

Air Taxi Weakness Runs Deeper Than Joby’s Verdict

They are working through federal certification. Joby and Archer are both building electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for air taxi service and remain pre-revenue on that front, so a cash claim of this size weighs more heavily on Joby.

EHang builds autonomous aerial vehicles and is further along in commercial operation in China under a different regulator, outside the U.S. certification timetable, yet EHang stock is down 70% year to date. That’s a deeper slide than the 39% year-to-date decline in Archer stock.

Weighing the Bull and Bear Cases for Joby

The bear case for Joby is that a nine-figure verdict lands on a company already spending heavily ahead of revenue, and an appeal takes time and legal budget whatever its outcome, competing with the certification programs Joby needs to fund.

Joby’s bull case starts with the award itself, which remains uncertain and which Joby has asked the court to throw out. ARK Invest also disclosed that it added to its Joby and Archer positions across its exchange-traded funds this week.

What to Watch Next

Post-trial motions are Joby’s next catalyst, and those rulings could reduce or erase the award before any appeal begins. A reduced award would ease the cash question for Joby, while an upheld verdict would keep the uncertainty in place through an appeal.

Traders may want to watch whether Archer and EHang shares stabilize, which could show how much of the selling traces to Joby’s case and how much reflects broader sector fatigue. In the meantime, it’s wise to reduce your position sizes in these unpredictable air-taxi stocks.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.