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

Eye Surgical Firm Sues Competitor: Starr Surgical Co. in Monrovia filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Rafi Systems Inc., a competitor in Ontario, for allegedly copying its method of surgically implanting deformable intraocular lenses, commonly used after cataracts operations. The federal lawsuit also names two former employees of Starr who allegedly passed on Starr trade secrets they had vowed to keep when they began working for Rafi last year. In the lawsuit, Starr asserts it patented its method of implanting the lenses in 1986. The lenses are implanted to restore vision after cataracts are removed from eyes. The suit seeks at least $5 million in damages. (Case No. 90-4804. Filed Sept. 6.)