Acquisition Deal to Trade Secret Litigation: Propel Fuels, Inc. v. Phillips 66 Company
Case: Propel Fuels, Inc. v. Phillips 66 Company, Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Case No. 22CV007197
Matter: Trade secret misappropriation arising from disclosures made during due diligence for a potential acquisition.
Plaintiff:
Propel Fuels, Inc., a renewable fuels retailer focused on low-carbon transportation markets.
Plaintiff’s Counsel:
Kobre & Kim LLP —
Michael Ng (lead trial counsel), Daniel Zaheer (lead trial counsel), Adriana Riviere-Badell, George Stamatopoulos, Jeremy Bressman, Paul Kanellopoulos, Zachary Ritz, Christen Martosella, Eden Benadiva, Jay Mandel, Kim Kennedy, Michael Fasano, Naomi Yang, Nicholas Ickovic, Steven Kobre, and Zachary Rosenbaum.
Defendant:
Phillips 66 Company, an integrated energy manufacturing company.
Defendant’s Counsel:
Latham & Watkins LLP
Gratton v. UPS: How One Discrimination Case Led to a $237 Million Jury Verdict
Key Findings:
Liability: The jury found UPS liable for:
Unlawful retaliation for protected activity under federal law
Wrongful termination in violation of public policy under Washington state law
Jury Damages Awarded:
$39.6 million in compensatory damages (primarily emotional distress)
$198 million in punitive damages
Colorado Jury Awards $11.5M in Rehab Mohamed v. SHRM Discrimination and Retaliation Case
Executive Summary and Key Facts:
Liability: The jury found SHRM liable for both racial discrimination and retaliation.
Damages Awarded:
$1.5 million in compensatory damages
$10 million in punitive damages
Plaintiff (Rehab Mohamed):
Darold Killmer and Laura Wolf of Killmer, Lane & Newman LLP, a Denver-based civil rights firm.
Defendant (SHRM):
Represented by attorneys from Littler Mendelson, a leading national employer-side labor and employment law firm.