logo

Call or Text: (662) 536-5656

EMAIL
Text
CALL
  • Home
  • Our Team
    • Philip A. Stroud
    • Brandon L. Flechas
    • Matthew G. Dalton
    • Michele Watts
    • Amanda “Mandy” Wright
    • Traci Stone
    • Judy Bell
    • Heather Oglesby
  • Personal Injury
    • Personal Injury
    • Car Accident Injury
    • Motorcycle Accident Injury
    • Brain Injury
    • Medical Malpractice
    • Nursing Home Negligence
    • Semi Truck Accidents
    • Slip and Fall Injury
    • VIEW ALL INJURY PRACTICE AREAS
  • Criminal Law
    • Assault & Battery
    • Domestic Violence / Simple Assault
    • DUI / DWI
    • Drug Charges, Sale & Possession
    • Reckless Driving
    • Suspended or Revoked License
    • Resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct
    • VIEW ALL CRIMINAL PRACTICE AREAS
  • Civil Rights
    • Police Misconduct
    • Police Shooting
    • Police Excessive Force
    • Police Taser Abuse
    • Law Enforcement Abuse of Power
    • Wrongful or Unlawful Arrest
    • Wrongful or Unlawful Search and Seizure
    • Police K9 Dog Bites
    • Sexual Abuse by Jailors or Police
    • VIEW ALL CIVIL RIGHTS AREAS
  • Results
  • Video Library
    • Accident Injury Videos
    • Insurance Law Videos
    • Civil Rights Videos
    • Criminal Law Videos
    • Liability & Malpractice Law Videos
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Community Resources
    • In The News
  • Contact

Mississippi Courts Grapple with Developments in Massive Technology Fight

June 4, 2012 by Philip Stroud Leave a Comment

Eaton Corp., a big technology company based in Ohio, recently announced that it would fire two attorneys as the company faces continued scrutiny from a Mississippi judge about controversial emails in a trade-secrets case that showed up years after they were supposed to have been produced.

The two attorneys let go were relatively high up, Vic Leo, vice president and chief litigation counsel, and Sharon O’Flaherty, litigation counsel. Oddly, a company spokesperson wouldn’t comment on whether their firings were connected with a long running legal battle in Mississippi. The fight started in 2004 when Eaton sued a rival, Frisby Aerospace claiming that five engineers stole company secrets when they defected Eaton for Frisby.

Mississippi Circuit Court Judge Jeff Weill recently ordered that Eaton explain how two email strings directly relating to the trade-secrets case suddenly appeared in mid-April. Judge Weill pointed to Eaton’s own promise that in 2008 and 2009 it had “precisely followed the orderly process laid out by this court.” For their part the Eaton spokesman says that Eaton will fully comply in providing an explanation.

Frisby alleges that Eaton instigated the lawsuit to derail their attempt at landing a lucrative contract building parts for Boeing. Frisby, now known as Triumph Actuation Systems, says the recently released emails show that Eaton engaged in a corruption by attempting to influence the judge in the Eaton-Frisby case by employing a politically connected, former district attorney, as a messenger between Eaton and the judge.

In one email, the former DA told Eaton that he was working to sway Judge Bobby DeLaughter: “REALLY pushing to get the ox out of the ditch.”

Thankfully Judge DeLaughter decided to recuse himself from presiding over the lawsuit as he was in the midst of dealing with a judicial bribery case involving another instance of contact with the former DA.

The suit ended up being dismissed by the new judge in January 2011, slamming Eaton for attempting to influence the judge. Estimates peg the value of the suit at between several hundred million dollars and $1 billion.

Eaton then appealed the dismissal to the Mississippi Supreme Court where the case remains unresolved. Frisby countersued and launched another attack in North Carolina, claiming it never received sensitive information from the engineers it hired from Eaton.

Eaton and several higher-ups were then sued by a group of its own shareholders at a court in Ohio. The shareholders claimed that it was because of the defendant’s actions that the lawsuit was dismissed. Eaton is now working to have this suit dismissed.

Not wanting to be left out the federal government jumped in and filed theft and fraud charges against the engineers who left Eaton for Frisby. Only this week, however, was it announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Mississippi would not be pursuing criminal charges against any of the men.

If you’ve been involved in something that requires the skill of an experienced Mississippi criminal defense lawyer, please call us today at (662) 536-5656.

Source: “Eaton fires in-house lawyers involved in Mississippi trade-secrets case,” by Alison Grant, published at Cleveland.com.

Filed Under: blog

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Your Free Consultation

  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“The lawyers at Stroud Law Firm represented my case with ease and great professionalism. I appreciated their integrity and would highly recommend this firm.”

– Suzanne R.

READ ALL REVIEWS

What do I need to prove to win my accident case?

Should I agree to take a breathalyzer test? What happens in Mississippi if I do not?

Can I be arrested for speaking alone?

VIEW ALL FAQ VIDEOS

  • Home
  • About
  • Personal Injury
  • Criminal Law
  • Civil Rights
  • Results
  • Videos
  • Contact

5779 Getwell Road, Building C1
Southaven, MS 38672 | United States

Phone : (662) 536-5656

Copyright © The Stroud Law Firm
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy

  • Home
  • Our Team
    ▼
    • Philip A. Stroud
    • Brandon L. Flechas
    • Matthew G. Dalton
    • Michele Watts
    • Amanda “Mandy” Wright
    • Traci Stone
    • Judy Bell
    • Heather Oglesby
  • Personal Injury
    ▼
    • Personal Injury
    • Car Accident Injury
    • Motorcycle Accident Injury
    • Brain Injury
    • Medical Malpractice
    • Nursing Home Negligence
    • Semi Truck Accidents
    • Slip and Fall Injury
    • VIEW ALL INJURY PRACTICE AREAS
  • Criminal Law
    ▼
    • Assault & Battery
    • Domestic Violence / Simple Assault
    • DUI / DWI
    • Drug Charges, Sale & Possession
    • Reckless Driving
    • Suspended or Revoked License
    • Resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct
    • VIEW ALL CRIMINAL PRACTICE AREAS
  • Civil Rights
    ▼
    • Police Misconduct
    • Police Shooting
    • Police Excessive Force
    • Police Taser Abuse
    • Law Enforcement Abuse of Power
    • Wrongful or Unlawful Arrest
    • Wrongful or Unlawful Search and Seizure
    • Police K9 Dog Bites
    • Sexual Abuse by Jailors or Police
    • VIEW ALL CIVIL RIGHTS AREAS
  • Results
  • Video Library
    ▼
    • Accident Injury Videos
    • Insurance Law Videos
    • Civil Rights Videos
    • Criminal Law Videos
    • Liability & Malpractice Law Videos
  • Resources
    ▼
    • Blog
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Community Resources
    • In The News
  • Contact