February 17, 2014. It happens all too often – termination of employment. Your boss comes in and tells you that you’re jobless in two weeks. Many times, employees (depending on their line of work) respond by downloading various work documents onto DVDs or CDs, or emailing them to their personal email accounts: forms, samples, vendor lists, you name it. After all, you never know when they might come in handy, right? Wrong.
If you get notice of your termination, or otherwise believe a job change might be in your near future, avoid the temptation to download company information and/or similar temptation to email such information to a personal email account. A recent federal court case highlights the serious consequences that can result from such thievery. In the case, Marsteller v. ECS Federal Inc., a federal court held that a former employee can be liable for misappropriation under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act based upon the alleged downloading of corporate information, even if the former employee has not even gotten around to using the information. The case, a copy of which can be found here, highlights the fact that employers should ensure policies are in place to protect trade secrets or other sensitive corporate information, and serves as a stern reminder for employees to comply at all times with corporate policies and avoid the temptation to steal corporate information, especially when they are on their way out the door.
For more information regarding litigation or employment law, contact the Goosmann Law Firm at 712-226-4700, or email them at info@goosmannlaw.com.