A major food processor has filed a lawsuit against a leading sausage producer and two former employees over allegations of trade secret theft.
The Minnesota Star-Tribune reports that Hormel Foods sued Johnsonville and two individuals in federal court over an alleged conspiracy to steal recipes, marketing research and other information.
According to the complaint, the scheme stemmed from Johnsonville’s hiring of Hormel veteran Brett Sims as its new chief supply chain officer two years ago.
Most Read on IEN:
- Auto Giant Files for Bankruptcy, Blames Tariffs
- Ship Carrying 3,000 Vehicles Abandoned in Pacific Ocean
- Yaskawa Moving Headquarters from Illinois to Wisconsin
- PODCAST: Auto Giant Bankrupt; Boeing Crash; JetZero's New Plane Factory
Hormel alleged that Sims began recruiting former Hormel coworkers to the Wisconsin sausage maker — in violation of a non-solicitation agreement — including Jeremy Rummel, who took a job at Johnsonville earlier this year.
Prior to informing Hormel of his departure, however, the company says Rummel sent proprietary information to a personal email account, including product formulas, processing techniques, marketing strategy details and information about potential acquisition targets.
The complaint added that after Hormel raised the issue with Rummel — and he acknowledged sending those emails — he and Sims met to go over the details of that meeting. Hormel also alleged that Johnsonville was uncooperative when Hormel sent a letter outlining its concerns.
The Minnesota-based owner of the Spam, Jennie-O and Planters brands is reportedly seeking the return or deletion of its confidential data, along with monetary damages.
Neither the companies nor the employees named in the lawsuit responded to inquiries from the Star-Tribune.
Click here to subscribe to our daily newsletter featuring breaking manufacturing industry news.
