HARRISBURG – A York producer of refractory materials and products alleges a former employee has misappropriated trade secrets.
Magnesita Refractories Co. filed a complaint on Sept. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania against Tianjin New Century Refractories Co. LTD, Yingkou New Century Refractories LTD, Donald Griffin and New Century Refractory Solutions Inc. citing the Defend Trade Secrets Act and other counts.
According to the complaint, the Griffin is a former employee of the plaintiff from 1980 to December 2014 when he resigned. The plaintiff alleges that Griffin forwarded a "significant number" of emails to his personal email account that contained trade secret formulations and processes. Griffin later became employed by the TNCR defendants, the suit states.
The plaintiff holds the defendants responsible because they have allegedly "willfully and maliciously engaged in various acts of misappropriation regarding Magnesita's trade secrets," the complaint states.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks to restrain all defendants, injunctive relief, return all confidential information to the plaintiff, compensatory and consequential damages, exemplary and punitive damages, court costs, interest and any further relief the court grants. It is represented by Alan R. Boynton Jr. of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC in Harrisburg.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania case number 1:17-cv-01587-CCC