NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., May 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chartwell Staffing Services Inc., a national leader in staffing and hiring services, announced it was granted a preliminary injunction against Empire Workforce Solutions, which Chartwell claimed used confidential trade secret information taken from its customer database and used by Empire to build its business.
“We are gratified by the court’s decision and recognition of the need to protect confidential trade secret information of our customers and employees,” said W. Holmes Lilley, chief executive officer for Chartwell. “This is a win for any company seeking to enforce its confidentiality agreements and safeguard competitive trade secret information and prevent employees from taking such data without consent.”
The injunction orders Empire, its employees and agents, and anyone acting in concert with them to cease using any and all of Chartwell’s confidential trade secret information, moreover the injunction prohibits the solicitation of Chartwell customers or employees whose information is part of Chartwell’s confidential trade secret information.
Additionally, the defendants are prohibited from performing services for any already-solicited Chartwell customers whose information is part of Chartwell’s confidential trade secret information.
“The court was clear these people schemed to illegally take confidential trade secret Chartwell data and use it to poach clients and launch their own enterprise without doing any of the hard, legitimate work a new venture requires,” Lilley added. “It’s a clear signal to anyone looking to cut in line that trade secrets are exactly that: secret.”
In April of 2019, Chartwell filed suit in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, California against Empire and its officers, including Adam Kidan, Tony Alanis, Rosa Benavides, Marlene Cornejo, Jamie Diaz, Denise Gonzalez, Patricia Hanks and Nick Rebultan, who were former Chartwell employees.
The suit alleged while still employed at Chartwell, the defendants accessed and downloaded proprietary information from its database. Kidan, formerly Chartwell’s chief executive officer, also secretly launched Empire while still employed at Chartwell.
The suit went on to detail how the defendants surreptitiously and methodically downloaded and compiled spreadsheets including customer and employee information; even going so far as to highlight which of Chartwell’s customers and employees they would pursue.
The preliminary injunction granted by the court takes effect immediately and stays in effect pending resolution of the merits of the case. To view a copy of the injunction, please go to www.chartwellstaff.com/press-releases/
Headquartered in Lancaster, PA, Chartwell Staffing Solutions is a national leader in providing temporary and permanent placement solutions for manufacturers and businesses in the United States. The company also provides drug screening, direct hire, pay rolling, and vendor on promise services. It serves manufacturing, warehouse, logistics, administration, clerical, engineering, information technology, food service, production, finance, and accounting industries. For more information go to www.chartwellstaff.com.
Contact: James Lee
The Lee Strategy Group, Inc.
Tel: 310.229.2753
Email: jlee@leestrategy.com