Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Los Angeles Partners Candice Nam and Aaron Rudin and New Jersey Partner Ron Giller prevailed in a jury trial in Orange County Superior Court where they, along with co-counsel, represented one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country against allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets and tortious interference with contracts.
The plaintiff, the biggest independent real estate brokerage in Southern California, claimed that the defendant had improperly induced the plaintiff's employees to violate their employment agreements with the plaintiff by joining the defendant and soliciting the plaintiff’s agents and clients. The plaintiff also alleged that the defendant misappropriated the plaintiff’s trade secrets, claiming damages in excess of $65 million.
After an almost two-month trial, the court granted the defendant's motion for a directed verdict, finding that the plaintiff had failed to carry its burden of proof by, among other things, not putting on admissible evidence of any damages that were caused by the defendant.
GRSM's client was very pleased with this outcome after more than six years of hard-fought and highly acrimonious litigation.