PHILADELPHIA — Airgas Inc. is suing The Carlyle Group and Carlyle Investment Management LLC and former Airgas senior vice president of corporate development Leslie Graff, citing alleged breach of employee duty and loyalty, aiding and abetting breach of duty and loyalty and violation of the Pennsylvania Uniform Trade Secrets Act.
Airgas filed a complaint June 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleging that the defendants misappropriated Airgas' confidential and proprietary information to buy and operate a competing business.
According to the complaint, between Feb. 2 and April 27, the plaintiff's trade secrets and other company information were collected by Graff for his own use and for the potential benefit of Carlyle.
Airgas said the defendants should be held responsible because they are allegedly prohibited by law from misappropriating the company's trade secrets.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and is asking the court to require the defendants to give up revenues obtained by Carlyle through the alleged illegal conducts, require the return of all of Airgas' property and information and grant temporary, preliminary and permanent injunctions prohibiting the defendants from using its confidential information and from engaging in competition.
Airgas is also seeking damages in an amount to be proven at trial. It is represented by Daniel Aiken, David Woolf, Matthew Fontana and Brooke Razor of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 2:18-cv-02462-GJP