Collin County District Court

Disclosure of Trade Secrets Ends Case

Lawyers for hospitality technology company Enseo recently beat back a trade secrets lawsuit in an unusual fashion. 

The lawsuit was filed Jan. 20 by WorldVue Connect Global, which is also a hospitality technology company. WorldVue was seeking an injunction that would stop Enseo from allegedly using its confidential trade secrets.  

According to the court’s order entering judgment in favor of Enseo and denying the request for a temporary injunction, the case unraveled at a Feb. 17 injunction hearing.

“At the hearing, plaintiffs introduced into the public records of the court, without objection from defendants, a … Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that plaintiffs contend contains their confidential information or trade secrets,” the order reads. “Following the public submission of this document and testimony from plaintiff WorldVue … plaintiffs then moved to withdraw the document from the record in this case (again without objection),” Collin County District Judge John McClellan Marshall wrote. 

“Following plaintiffs’ request to remove the document from the record, Defendants Enseo … made a motion to strike plaintiffs’ application for TI and pleadings depending from the withdrawn spreadsheet, on the ground that plaintiffs had offered no evidence to support the application or pleadings, and in fact withdrew the evidence necessary to sustain the same from the record.” 

Judge Marshall took the motion under advisement and proceeded with the hearing, but days later he sided with Enseo, writing “the court finds that plaintiffs presented no evidence, or insufficient evidence, to show probable, imminent and irreparable harm absent an injunction.”

“Additionally, the court finds that the defendants publicly submitted into the record, then withdrew the evidence allegedly containing their confidential information or trade secrets,” he wrote. 

Judge Marshall issued the order Feb. 25, noting that WorldVue was not seeking any monetary damages. WorldVue filed its notice of appeal with the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas the following day. No briefs have been filed in the case as of Monday afternoon. 

Enseo’s counterclaims against WorldVue remain pending. 

WorldVue Connect is represented by Carolyn R. Raines, Michael A. McCabe and Nicole A. Paige of Munck Wilson Mandala.

Enseo is represented by Travis E. DeArman, Avery Williams, Rachael Jones, Tyler B. Freeman and Jacques Friedman of McKool Smith. Individual defendant David Dingee is represented by Steven N. Williams, William P. Finegan and Anne-Alise “Ali” Hinckley of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr. 

To read more, click here.