Here is the attorney that withdrew from the present appeall (atty for def. ZTE / partner of Morgan Lewis).  I guess there could be any number of rational reasons for the withdrwawal.  With that being said, however, he touts his wins over TPL as part of his biography below.  If he is so important, why did he withdraw and why did ZTE allow him to withdraw as counsel for ZTE in the TPL / Patriot appeall in August?

**TEXT ONLY** ORDER granting motion to withdraw attorney [89] Hersh Mehta filed by Appellees ZTE Corporation and ZTE USA, Inc. Service as of this date by the Clerk of Court. This order has been issued without an attached document and is official and binding. [543609] [SMJ] [Entered: 08/17/2018 09:13 AM]f

Hersh Mehta Partner Hersh Mehta represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex intellectual property cases throughout the United States. As a registered patent attorney with an electrical engineering background, Hersh has represented clients in every major patent jurisdiction, including the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), the US International Trade Commission (ITC), and federal district courts in California, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Wisconsin.

TPL v. ZTE (N.D. Cal. 2017): Represented defendant ZTE in a three-patent infringement case involving microprocessor clocking technology. After filing a motion to dismiss based on patent indefiniteness, plaintiff voluntarily dismissed two asserted patents. As to the remaining patent, the court found no infringement and entered summary judgment in ZTE’s favor.

TPL v. ZTE (ITC, 337-TA-853): Trial counsel for respondent ZTE in an ITC investigation involving microprocessor clocking technology. The ITC found no violation on the basis that no patent claim was infringed. The complainant did not appeal the ITC’s final determination.