A summary of Southern California-related business litigation developments during the past week.

Jury Finds Irvine Firm Misled Navy: A federal jury found that Western Graphtec Inc. misled the Navy in bidding for a 1987 contract to build graphic recorders for submarines by saying the equipment would be manufactured in the United States when in fact it was made in Japan. The jury awarded the firm’s chief competitor, Astro-Med Inc., nearly $1.6 million in punitive and general damages for its losses stemming from the contract to build eight recorders that measure sounds of submarines. Astro-Med claimed that it lost the Navy contract because Western Graphtec was able to undercut its bid by making the recorders in Japan. (Case No. 89-0008. Verdict returned Nov. 15).