Strategies for Defending Against Trade Secret Suits

Businesses place a premium on their top employees and what those employees know. When these top employees leave to join a competitor (or to start their own firm), the most significant weapon the former employer may have is a lawsuit for trade secret misappropriation against the new employer. The plaintiff often will claim that the former employee took to the new employer proprietary information and that the new employer is using that information. While every case is different, the following are three strategies that should be employed in defending against these claims.