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A legal team from Kelly Hart secured a $27 million judgment for Arlington-based VBI Group in a trade secrets case against its former president, technology director, and their competing company, according to a story published by Texas Lawyer.
The case, filed in 2021, accused Peter Nguyen, his wife, and Spartan Automotive Technology Providers of misappropriating proprietary trade secrets to establish a rival business.
A Tarrant County jury delivered a verdict in November, finding in favor of VBI Group, which operates as Ikon Technologies. Judge Melody Wilkinson of the 17th District Court entered final judgment on Dec. 4.
“This was the largest verdict from her court in all her years on the bench,” said Kelly Hart in a statement.
The judgment includes $5 million in compensatory damages, $22.1 million in exemplary damages, and over $1.3 million in pre-judgment interest.
Additionally, the Kelly Hart team was awarded $256,952 in attorney fees for the trial period, with further allowances for post-trial and appeals costs.
Kelly Hart attorneys working the case were Jeff Whitfield and Joseph Austin, with assistance from paralegal Dana Law.
Defense attorneys for the accused, represented by Keating Brown and the Clark Firm, argued that the alleged trade secrets were not proprietary and that the defendants relied on general expertise developed independently.
They also contended that VBI Group failed to prove financial harm or that the information qualified as trade secrets under the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act.
The jury assigned damages against all defendants, including Lawrence P. West, a former associate of VBI’s management team.
The defense team, which declined to comment to Texas Lawyer, included Steven E. Clark and Matthew Altick of the Clark Firm representing Nguyen; and Nathan Pearman and Patrick Keating of Keating Brown for Spartan Automotive.