Chesapeake Energy Sues Over Alleged Theft of Trade Secrets by Ex-CEO
Houston trial lawyer Mark Lanier will face off against Duane Morris and Williams & Connolly in what promises to be a high-profile trade secrets dispute between Chesapeake Energy Corp. and American Energy Partners LP, a company founded by former Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon.
February 17, 2015 at 12:12 PM
3 minute read
Houston trial lawyer Mark Lanier will face off against Duane Morris and Williams & Connolly in what promises to be a high-profile trade secrets dispute between Chesapeake Energy Corp. and American Energy Partners LP, a company founded by former Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon.
Chesapeake, represented by Lanier and others at his Lanier Law Firm, filed suit Tuesday morning in Oklahoma state court, accusing McClendon of stealing confidential information prior to leaving Chesapeake and starting AEP in 2013. McClendon had co-founded Chesapeake in 1989 and served as the company's chief executive before his departure in 2013. McClendon left Chesapeake amid what he called “philosophical differences” with a new board that aimed to rein in company spending and acquisitions.
In the complaint, Chesapeake's lawyers noted that McClendon had reached a separation deal with Chesapeake on his way out of the company that allowed him access to information about existing oil and gas wells in which McClendon held a joint ownership stake. But that agreement, according to Chesapeake, didn't allow McClendon to use confidential information related to potential future drilling sites, which he allegedly did after starting AEP.
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