HOUSTON – Trial lawyers Ashish Mahendru and Darren Braun of Mahendru P.C. have filed a lawsuit for Independence Oilfield Chemicals LLC, alleging a former executive violated employment agreements by joining a competitor and trying to lure customers and employees away.
The lawsuit in Harris County District Court drew the attention of news service Law360, which wrote about the case in a July 29 article headlined, “Oilfield Co. Sues Ex-VP Who Went To Work For Competitor” (subscription required).
Independence claims that Jason Roberts, who worked for company subsidiary Innospec Fuel Specialties LLC, violated noncompete and nondisclosure agreements when he left to join Solugen Inc. and tried to take customers and employees with him. Independence alleged in the lawsuit that the company had evidence Solugen tried to steal away one of the company’s biggest customers, Marathon Oil.
“Roberts’ clear breach of his nonsolicitation covenant only days after his departure from Solugen is even more alarming given Solugen’s false and misleading assurances regarding Roberts’ duties,” the lawsuit states, citing written communications from Solugen that Roberts would not violate his agreements.
Mr. Mahendru has an extensive track record of representing clients in trade secrets and noncompete disputes, often involving the oil and gas industry. He and Mr. Braun are aggressive and experienced trial lawyers handling a variety of commercial litigation.
The lawsuit is Oilfield Chemicals LLC et al. v. Jason Roberts et al., case number 2019-51436, in the 127th District Court in Harris County, Texas.
Mahendru P.C. is a boutique commercial litigation firm whose attorneys are known for their tenacity, intelligence and experience. Founded in 2001, the firm has a simple philosophy: Your problem is our problem. We adopt it, understand it and solve it. Our objective is to resolve every case in the best, fastest and most cost-efficient manner possible. We never wait for our opponent’s next move, which means we spend a lot of time at the courthouse and are well-known there.
