PHILADELPHIA – The former director of communications for a Philadelphia foreign policy think tank is facing a lawsuit alleging she misappropriated trade secrets and other confidential business information.
The Middle East Forum (MEF) filed a complaint Dec. 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Lisa Reynolds-Barbounis alleging breach of contract, computer fraud and abuse, violation of the Pennsylvania Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Defend Trade Secrets Act and Stored Communications Act, Conversion of confidential information and breach of fiduciary duty.
The suit states Reynolds-Barbounis began working for MEF on Sept. 25, 2017, and signed a personal manual and confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement. After becoming MEF's director of communications in January, she was granted access to MEF's proprietary information, trade secrets, donor lists and business relationships, according to the complaint.
MEF alleges Reynolds-Barbounis forwarded some of that confidential information to a non-MEF email account. She resigned in August.
MEF seeks a temporary restraining order, injunctive relief, attorney's fees, a trial by jury and all other appropriate relief. They are represented by Sidney Gold of Sidney L. Gold & Associates PC in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 2:19-CV-05697-JS