Taft announced today that the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida recently dismissed with prejudice all claims brought by International Health Brands, LLC ("IHB") against our clients, Ashlee R. Foy, Michael L. Kaufman, and KCM Brands, LLC.
The lawsuit alleged misappropriation of trade secrets and related claims, which our clients consistently maintained were retaliatory and unsupported by evidence. Over the course of several months, Defendants made diligent and repeated efforts to obtain discovery from Plaintiff. When those efforts did not yield all the requested supporting evidence, Defendants sought court intervention through a motion to compel. In response, among other actions and just days before the scheduled hearing, Plaintiff moved to voluntarily dismiss the case without prejudice. Defendants opposed, urging the Court to dismiss the action with prejudice to prevent future re-litigation and to eliminate the ongoing cloud of uncertainty over their clients. Following a hearing, Plaintiff agreed to a dismissal with prejudice, and the Court entered the parties' stipulation, bringing the case to a definitive conclusion.
Throughout the litigation, Ms. Foy, Mr. Kaufman, and KCM Brands consistently maintained their lack of wrongdoing. With this result, they are vindicated and should be able to continue operating their business, Renuology.com, which offers a range of well-being and healthcare products.
By strategically focusing on early discovery deficiencies and resisting an open-ended dismissal, Taft team was able to bring closure to the case early and avoid protracted litigation through trial, saving significant time, expense, and resources for our clients.
The Taft team included attorneys Tom Pasternak, Roshan Shrestha, and Courtney Kabbes, along with paralegal Hannah Farrell.