Dive Brief:
- Cargill has filed a lawsuit against a former executive, alleging he stole proprietary information about the company's meat-processing operations before joining rival JBS SA.
- The ex-employee, Jason Kuan, was a 20-year veteran of Cargill, and recently ran its "case ready" meat department, which cuts and packages meat for delivery to retailers.
- Cargill says Kuan has been hired by JBS to launch a similar business to be based in Colorado. Kuan could not be reached for comment by those reporting on the matter.
Dive Insight:
We'll leave it to the courts to figure this one out. And that may be what Cargill wants to happen as well. The company is seeking an injunction that would prevent Kuan from revealing any secrets, and wants a court to determine how much any such alleged damage already done might be worth. Somehow that seems less like an attempt to reach a settlement than the opening salvo in what could turn into an extended legal battle.