A North Carolina federal court judge exercised his discretion recently to deny a Federal Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss, for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction (complete diversity was absent), multiple state law claims filed by NouvEON against its ex-employee and her new employer. One of the eight counts in the complaint alleged a federal cause of action, violation of the federal
Continue Reading North Carolina Federal Court Uses Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Claim to Exercise Supplemental Jurisdiction Over State Law Claims Against Former Employee and her New Employer

By Jessica Mendelson and Robert Milligan

Ownership of company social media accounts has recently become a hot topic in the legal industry, and with its decision in Eagle v. Morgan, 2012 WL 4739436, E.D.Pa., October 04, 2012 (NO. CIV.A. 11-4303) this past week, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has added fuel to the fire.

Edcomm, a banking education company, was
Continue Reading Pennsylvania Federal Court Dismisses Employee’s Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Claim Based Upon Employer’s Alleged Improprer Access of LinkedIn Account: No Cognizable Damages

On August 9, 2012, a district court for the Western District of Michigan dismissed counterclaims of tortious interference with a business expectancy and conversion brought after the removal of a company’s Facebook page and the alleged loss of its more than 19,000 “fans.” (Lown Companies LLC v. Piggy Paint LLC, No. 11-cv–911 (W.D. Mich., Aug. 9, 2012)) .
Continue Reading Facebook Fans For Piggy Paint Not A Business Expectancy, Michigan Federal Court Dismisses Tortious Interference Claims for Facebook Page Takedown

By Ryan Malloy and Joshua Salinas

The Court of Appeals of Indiana recently reversed and remanded a 2008 suit brought by the North American Boxing Council (NABC) against HDNet LLC (HDNet), in which the NABC alleged that HDNet stole its idea for a mixed martial arts (MMA) broadcast series after the parties had discussed a broadcast arrangement that never materialized
Continue Reading Indiana Appellate Court Finds That Indiana Uniform Trade Secrets Act Preempts Common Law Misappropriation and Civil Conversion Claims In Mixed Martial Arts Broadcasting Dispute

On April 25, 2012, a federal judge in North Carolina issued a ruling granting in part and denying in part motions to dismiss involving claims for trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, and conversion in a dispute between two pharmaceutical companies in the case of River’s Edge Pharmaceuticals v. Gorbec Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. This decision confirms, to an extent, the need to

Continue Reading North Carolina Federal District Court Confirms Importance of Alleging Actual Harm in Pleadings