Addressing a variety of challenges to a judgment against defendants in a trade secret misappropriation action, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that the plaintiff had standing on the basis of lawful possession (as opposed to ownership) of the trade secret materials and that the damages awarded, including punitives, was supported by sufficient evidence. Advanced Fluid Systems, Inc. v. Huber, Case Nos. 19-1722; -1752 (3d Cir. Apr. 30, 2020) (Jordan, J.).
Advanced Fluid Systems (AFS) makes hydraulic systems. Kevin Huber was a sales engineer for AFS, and later founded INSYSMA. Livingston & Haven competes with AFS. Clifton Vann is the president of Livingston and the CEO of its holding company. Thomas Aufiero worked at AFS from 1989 to 2011, then became a regional sales manager at Livingston.
