Case About Alleged Ex-Employee Use of Information to Underbid Former Employer

In Strata Marketing, Inc. v. Murphy, 317 Ill. App. 3d 1054, 1068, 740 N.E.2d 1166, 251 Ill. Dec. 595 (2000), the plaintiff alleged the defendant, a former employee, had detailed knowledge of its trade secrets, including customer needs, problems, planned product upgrades, and existing contracts. The plaintiff also alleged the defendant was working as a salesperson for its competitor, and the information she acquired was "exactly the type of information that a salesperson needs and must use to effectively compete for customers against the plaintiff on behalf of a competitor." The employee could have utilized the information to underbid the plaintiff, among other things. On appeal, this court held the plaintiff's allegations adequately supported the theory of inevitable disclosure under the ITSA, and its complaint was sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss. Strata, 317 Ill. App. 3d at 1071, citing Pepsico, 54 F.3d 1262.