Chesapeake Alleges Founder McClendon Stole ‘Trade Secrets’ to Start New Firm
Chesapeake Energy Corp. filed suit Tuesday alleging that its founder and former chief executive, Aubrey K. McClendon, stole confidential company data during his last months on the job in order to launch his new oil and gas empire, Reuters reports.
The suit says McClendon “misappropriated highly sensitive trade secrets from Chesapeake” and “subsequently used these trade secrets for the benefit of” a company he founded in 2013, American Energy Partners LP. Chesapeake filed the civil complaint in Oklahoma County District Court.
“In the suit, Chesapeake claims McClendon asked his assistant to print maps and data about unleased acreage and that McClendon also sent himself blind copies of the same documents at a personal email address during his last months at the company,” the report says. “The company says it discovered McClendon’s actions through a forensic analysis of his Chesapeake email account.”