Defense contractor
Raytheon is suing an Orlando man, contending he stole trade secrets that he took to his new job at competitor Lockheed Martin.
Defense contractor Raytheon is suing an Orlando man, contending he stole trade secrets that he took to his new job at competitor Lockheed Martin.
When William Rebarick left Raytheon in 2009, “he took significant amounts of confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information with him,” according to an amended lawsuit filed Monday in Orlando federal court that is seeking more than $75,000 in damages. “Raytheon employees who take Raytheon information with them when they leave, and who then use it to compete against Raytheon, must be held accountable.”
Attempts to reach Rebarick were unsuccessful Monday. Raytheon’s attorneys could not be reached immediately for comment.
The lawsuit said Rebarick resigned from Raytheon after a string of “improper practices,” although it did not provide further details.
Raytheon accused Rebarick of keeping electronic files that detailed Warfighter Focus, a contract Raytheon had won in 2007 to provide support with logistics and training for the U.S. Army.
Rebarick worked heavily on the Warfighter Focus contract and knew trade secrets that Raytheon wanted kept hidden from its competitors, such as Raytheon’s strategic approach, prices and staffing, the lawsuit said.
When he left the company, Rebarick signed a separation agreement that said he would keep Raytheon’s information secret and had returned all the company’s materials, according to court documents.
Years later, Raytheon wanted to win another Army contract worth $3.5 billion for the Army that dealt with simulators and simulations maintenance among other items. Raytheon’s new bid proposal was based on staff and pricing from its earlier contract, the lawsuit said.
By 2015, Rebarick was working at Lockheed Martin Corp., another defense contractor vying for the contract, the lawsuit said. A Lockheed employee walked in and saw Rebarick’s computer screen displaying a document that said “Raytheon Proprietary,” the suit states.
The employee reported it to Lockheed’s ethical department, and Rebarick abruptly left an interview when he was confronted, according to the suit. He took his computer and left, eventually resigning.
“Rebarick attempted to wipe thousands of files from his Lockheed-assigned computer. Rebarick’s attempts appear to have been mostly successful, though not entirely so,” the lawsuit said.
Lockheed alerted Raytheon that Rebarick was looking at the secret documents, the lawsuit says.
Raytheon sent Rebarick a ceaseand-desist letter in December 2016 and unsuccessfully tried to talk with him. That same month, Raytheon and Lockheed, “the only two anticipated and actual bidders,” submitted their proposals to the Army.
The Army awarded the contract to Lockheed in March.
Raytheon is now suing Rebarick on multiple counts, including breach of contract.
“While the full extent of the harm Rebarick has caused is irreparable, Raytheon brings this suit to prevent his further improper use of Raytheon’s confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information and to recover for the damages he has caused to date,” the lawsuit said.