The Tenth Circuit recently held that an employee who failed to take adequate steps to protect confidential business information could not maintain claims against his former employer for trade secret misappropriation under either federal or state law. In Snyder v. Beam Technologies, Inc., 147 F.4th 1246 (Aug. 5, 2025)
Trade Secrets
9th Circuit Clarifies Trade Secret Disclosure Requirements Under The DTSA
By Steven J. Pearlman & Scott Tan on
The Ninth Circuit recently held that the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”) does not require plaintiffs to identify their allegedly misappropriate trade secrets with reasonable particularity at the outset of discovery—much unlike the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (“CUTSA”). Quintara Biosciences, Inc. v. Ruifeng Biztech, Inc., No. 23-16093 (Aug.
Massive $800 Million Verdict in Landmark Trade Secret Case
By Steven J. Pearlman & Connor Villar on
A California state jury awarded Propel Fuels, Inc. $604.9 million in damages after finding Phillips 66 Company liable for trade secret misappropriation. Propel Fuels, Inc. v. Phillips 66 Co., Case No. 22CV007197 (Cal. Oct. 16, 2024). The jury found defendant willfully misappropriated the trade secrets after conducting due diligence…
$30 Million Message: Jury Awards Substantial Punitive Damages for Trade Secret Theft
A nearly decade-long legal battle in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently concluded with a significant jury verdict, underscoring the potentially severe consequences of trade secret theft claims. In Sonrai Systems, LLC v. Anthony M. Romano and The Heil Co. d/b/a Environmental Solutions Group…
Georgia Federal Court Denies TRO and Motion to Dismiss in Trade Secrets Case
By Steven J. Pearlman & Connor Riser on
On March 27, 2025, in Stimlabs LLC v. Griffiths, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ordered a former executive, Sarah Griffiths, to face claims related to her alleged theft of Stimlab’s trade secrets under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”) and the Georgia Trade Secrets…
Eleventh Circuit Revives Trade Secret Misappropriation Claim in Long-Running Litigation
By Steven J. Pearlman & Brenna McLean on
On April 4, 2025, the Eleventh Circuit reversed the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama’s ruling dismissing Alabama Aircraft Industries’ (“AAI”) trade secret misappropriation claim against Boeing, thereby allowing AAI to pursue unjust enrichment damages in addition to amounts previously recovered on its breach of contract…
Court Rejects DTSA Claim Over Inadequate Efforts to Protect Alleged Trade Secrets
By Steven J. Pearlman & Scott Tan on
On March 13, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed a trade secret misappropriation claim under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”), finding that the employer failed to plead it had taken reasonable measures to maintain the secrecy of its alleged trade secrets.
In…
District Court Dismisses Trade Secrets Claim Lacking Explicit Expectation of Privacy
By Steven J. Pearlman & Brenna McLean on
On February 20, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania dismissed a trade secret misappropriation claim for failing to identify explicit language establishing an expectation of privacy to the protected information.
Plaintiffs in Vertical Bridge REIT LLC v. Everest Infrastructure Partners Inc., Case No. 23-1017…
Jury Awards $452 Million After Trade Secrets Trial
By Steven J. Pearlman & Nicole Sockett on
On December 3, 2024, a U.S District Court for the District of Massachusetts jury awarded Plaintiff Insulet Corporation $452 million in compensatory and punitive damages after finding Defendants willfully misappropriated Insulet’s trade secrets. Insulet Corp. v. EOFlow Co. Ltd., et al., Case No. 1:23-cv-11780 (D. Mass.)
Insulet is a…
EV Trade Secrets Litigation Series: Tesla and Rivian Resolve High-Stakes Legal Clash Over IP
By Baldassare Vinti & Elizabeth Shrieves on
After getting the green light to proceed to a trial in March of 2025, Tesla and Rivian have reportedly reached an agreement to settle their trade secret dispute out of court. Tesla and Rivian officially filed for dismissals in mid-December and the Court subsequently close the case. This will mark…