PITTSBURGH - A federal lawsuit alleges three former employees of Matthews International misappropriated confidential information and trade secrets as they went to work for a direct competitor.
The litigation, which was filed Jan. 21 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleges a Matthews employee of 30 years told company officials he was retiring. He then went to work for a company in the same line of business, a violation of Matthews' Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. The employee also is accused of recruiting two other Matthews employees to join him, and that they took confidential company documents with them.
The suit further alleges that over the years, the competitor company has hired several Matthews’ employees, and that “such unfair competition and tortious interference must be stopped.”
If injunctive relief is not granted, the suit states, “Matthews’ customer relationships, good will, market share, business opportunities, competitive advance and the security of its Confidential Information and Trade Secrets will be immediately and irreparably harmed.”
The suit asks for compensatory damages.