Wentzel Law is pleased to report that in March 2018, we obtained an outstanding settlement in favor of our client resolving multiple lawsuits in Ohio and Illinois.
Our client, a high-performing sales executive based in Chicago, was sued by his former employer in Ohio for allegedly violating a non-compete agreement and breaching his fiduciary duties. We took an aggressive approach and sued the former employer in the Northern District of Illinois for defamation, violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, and a declaratory judgment that the non-compete was unenforceable. Simultaneously, we removed the Ohio state-court lawsuit to federal court and sought dismissal of the action for lack of personal jurisdiction.
In the earliest stages of the case, the former employer sought a temporary restraining order, seeking to prevent our client from performing his job duties with his new employer. Wentzel Law, together with local Ohio counsel, successfully defeated the TRO, which provided much leverage in the ensuing court-sponsored mediation. We negotiated a fantastic settlement that allows our client to continue providing his valuable services to his new employer. While the terms of the settlement are confidential, the client commented that the result achieved through settlement was better than anything we could have obtained through litigation.