Photo of Jenna Crawford

Jenna Crawford

Subscribe to Jenna Crawford's Posts

Jenna Crawford is an associate in the Business Trial Practice Group in the firm's San Diego (Del Mar) Office.

Contact:Read more about Jenna Crawford

The Seventh Circuit recently affirmed summary judgment in favor of a former employee and his new employer on claims for misappropriation of trade secrets relating to a prototype of an actuator created eleven years prior, holding that the inference that the defendant used his knowledge of the prototype more than a decade later was “barely conceivable” and “exceptionally unreasonable.” REXA, Inc. v. Chester, — F.4th —, 2022 WL 2981167, at *6 (7th Cir. 2022) (internal quotation marks omitted).
Continue Reading Unfashionably Late: Seventh Circuit Rejects Misappropriation Claim Premised On Prototype Created Eleven Years Prior

On January 11, 2021, the mayor of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, signed the Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act of 2020 (the “Act”), which is set to be one of the broadest and most expansive bans on non-competes in the country.  The Act bans provisions in employment agreements that forbid any employee from working for a competitor not only after their employment, but also during their employment.  While the Act does not apply retroactively, any non-compete entered into after the Act’s effective date is void and unenforceable.

The Act was submitted for the requisite 30-day congressional review period and is expected to become law in the coming months.
Continue Reading Employment Agreements: DC’s Recent Ban on Non-Competes is One of the Broadest in the Country

The Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”), enacted in 2016, created a federal right of action for misappropriation of trade secrets. The Ninth Circuit recently addressed for the first time whether a DTSA claim may be brought against misconduct predating the enactment of the DTSA.  The Ninth Circuit held that it could, so long as the misappropriation continued until after the enactment of the DTSA.  See Attia v. Google LLC, — F.3d —, 2020 WL 7380256 (9th Cir. 2020).  
Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Applies the “Continued Use” Doctrine to the Defend Trade Secrets Act