Media Mentions
April 29, 2014
Chuck Knapp Featured in Minnesota Lawyer Regarding His Work for Gore
Labor & employment litigation partner Chuck Knapp was featured in a recent article in Minnesota Lawyer regarding his recent efforts on behalf of firm client W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. to rein in two rogue scientists accused of seeking to misappropriate Gore trade secrets.
Knapp spoke about his involvement in a 10-year-long battle between Gore and a former research scientist that most recently resulted in the issuance of a warrant for the defendant's arrest on April 7. The warrant was issued by the Delaware Chancery Court, a very unlikely move for a court characterized by calm, orderly and routine injunctions and declaratory judgments. Knapp said that Gore originally sued the former employee, Huey Shen Wu, in 2004 for misappropriation of trade secrets. In 2006, Vice Chancellor Donald Parsons issued an unprecedented order in Delaware – a 10-year injunction preventing Wu from working with the materials he had worked with at Gore. In 2012, Gore discovered evidence that Wu was violating the injunction in Taiwan and China, and has been involved in several contempt motions since that time. In response to Gore's most recent contempt motion, the Chancery Court ordered Wu to surrender his travel documents or face a bench warrant for his arrest. When Wu refused to surrender his travel documents, the court issued the bench warrant.
"Not your everyday case." Knapp said.
The article also mentioned a more recent case in which Knapp has advised Gore. In that matter, former Gore research scientist Kwang Seoung Jeon is accused of seeking to misappropriate electronic files containing Gore trade secrets, some of which are protected by the Arms Export Control Act. Gore referred the matter to federal authorities, and Knapp worked with them in marshalling sufficient evidence for them to obtain a warrant for Jeon's arrest. Jeon was later intercepted by authorities at JFK Airport waiting for a flight to South Korea. Jeon had in his possession a number of USB devices containing Gore electronic files.
Knapp said that while clients may be reluctant to involve the federal government, it can be an effective option in certain cases. "Oftentimes clients are reluctant to get the feds involved, but these guys [helped]," he said. "The speed with which they were able to get into court and get an arrest warrant and stop this guy was truly amazing."
The complete article is available to Minnesota Lawyer subscribers.
Knapp spoke about his involvement in a 10-year-long battle between Gore and a former research scientist that most recently resulted in the issuance of a warrant for the defendant's arrest on April 7. The warrant was issued by the Delaware Chancery Court, a very unlikely move for a court characterized by calm, orderly and routine injunctions and declaratory judgments. Knapp said that Gore originally sued the former employee, Huey Shen Wu, in 2004 for misappropriation of trade secrets. In 2006, Vice Chancellor Donald Parsons issued an unprecedented order in Delaware – a 10-year injunction preventing Wu from working with the materials he had worked with at Gore. In 2012, Gore discovered evidence that Wu was violating the injunction in Taiwan and China, and has been involved in several contempt motions since that time. In response to Gore's most recent contempt motion, the Chancery Court ordered Wu to surrender his travel documents or face a bench warrant for his arrest. When Wu refused to surrender his travel documents, the court issued the bench warrant.
"Not your everyday case." Knapp said.
The article also mentioned a more recent case in which Knapp has advised Gore. In that matter, former Gore research scientist Kwang Seoung Jeon is accused of seeking to misappropriate electronic files containing Gore trade secrets, some of which are protected by the Arms Export Control Act. Gore referred the matter to federal authorities, and Knapp worked with them in marshalling sufficient evidence for them to obtain a warrant for Jeon's arrest. Jeon was later intercepted by authorities at JFK Airport waiting for a flight to South Korea. Jeon had in his possession a number of USB devices containing Gore electronic files.
Knapp said that while clients may be reluctant to involve the federal government, it can be an effective option in certain cases. "Oftentimes clients are reluctant to get the feds involved, but these guys [helped]," he said. "The speed with which they were able to get into court and get an arrest warrant and stop this guy was truly amazing."
The complete article is available to Minnesota Lawyer subscribers.
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