A Husch Blackwell litigation team secured a complete defense verdict for a California attorney after an eight-day-long breach of contract jury trial.
The matter arises out of attorney Ben Beck leaving his prior law firm, Strategic Legal Practices (SLP) to join competitor law firm Consumer Law Experts, PC (CLE). SLP sued CLE, its owners, and three former attorneys, including Beck, for breach of contract, intentional interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duties, aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duties, breach of duty of loyalty, aiding and abetting breach of duty of loyalty, and violation of Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17200 et seq. The court granted CLE and the individual defendants’ motion for summary judgment, primarily on California Uniform Trade Secrets Act grounds, but kept a breach of contract claim against Beck intact. SLP also amended its complaint to add a California Penal Code Section 502(c)(2) claim, which addresses unauthorized computer access.
The jury returned a complete defense verdict, voting in Beck’s favor on both SLP’s breach of contract claim and its Penal Code section 502(c) claim.
Led by partner Tyler Paetkau, the Husch Blackwell team also included attorneys Abby Treadwell and Henry Aho and paralegal Yveline Coulond.